Noem wrapped up two days of scrutiny on Wednesday, appearing before lawmakers for the first time since the shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, at the hands of immigration enforcement officers. During the hearings, Democrats and some Republicans repeatedly pressed her on what they said was excessive force, inaccurate characterizations of the deaths, and questions about whether DHS has dodged oversight and how it spends large sums appropriated by Congress.
Lawmakers challenged Noem’s portrayal of the two killed protesters as armed agitators, saying accounts and bystanders’ video contradicted her depiction. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House committee, confronted her on that issue, saying, “You told a lie about them. You said they were domestic terrorists,” according to testimony reported by The Associated Press. Other Democrats also questioned why DHS officers used force to remove people from vehicles and why an American citizen, described as being in his pajamas, was pulled from his Minneapolis home.
Noem defended her characterization and said lawmakers lacked the facts. In response to questions about her comments after the shootings, she told lawmakers she relied on information from people on the scene and said “violent protesters” contributed to the chaos officers encountered. She also argued that her agency used intelligence-driven enforcement, saying, “We do targeted enforcement based on intelligence and go after the worst of the worst.” Republicans largely backed her overall posture toward immigration enforcement, portraying her as acting against what they said was left unchecked under President Joe Biden’s administration, while she said her actions strengthened national security by stemming migration at the southern border.
The testimony also shifted to oversight and watchdog access. Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said in a letter obtained by The Associated Press that DHS leadership “systematically obstructed” his office’s work in 11 instances, including a criminal investigation with a “nexus” to the department. Cuffari said his team was not allowed to access databases or take other necessary investigative steps. Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia asked Noem about the letter, saying her department had a “pattern of obstructing investigations,” and Noem denied the accusation.
Noem responded that Cuffari had not outlined what information he wanted and what timeline he requested. She told lawmakers, “He wants unfettered access to every single thing in the department. And that’s not the process,” defending what she described as the proper way to handle the inspector general’s requests.
Lawmakers also examined DHS spending after Noem’s department was infused with $170 billion in congressional funding. The hearings included a question about the department’s decision to run a $220 million ad campaign that featured Noem and encouraged people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily. Democrats pressed whether the contracts followed competitive bidding rules and whether Noem’s associates benefited from the process. Rep. Joe Neguse said, “You’re using millions of dollars of taxpayer money in this way,” calling it fraud, and said he expected “accountability.” Noem defended the spending as lawful.
Members of Congress also asked Noem about DHS purchases of luxury jets. At the same time, the questioning included a constitutional dispute over the department’s use of administrative warrants. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that federal officers were asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter a suspect’s home without a judge’s warrant, which legal experts said infringes constitutional rights. In both days of testimony, Noem said the warrants were appropriate and legal, saying their use in forcible entry was limited and “very rare,” and that they were used 28 times under her authority, without specifying where they had been used.
That defense drew pushback even from some Republicans. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said he is a “strong proponent of the Fourth Amendment,” adding, “and I think it would be helpful if we stuck to that.”
The hearings ended with questions aimed at one of Noem’s senior advisers, Corey Lewandowski, a special government employee. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove asked about Lewandowski’s role and how it complied with rules that are supposed to limit the number of days a special government employee is allowed to work at the department, raising questions about how often he has been present and about the nature of the relationship between him and Noem. Kamlager-Dove also asked whether Noem and Lewandowski were having an affair, saying, “At any time during your tenure as director of the Department of Homeland Security have you had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski?”
Noem rejected the line of questioning, telling lawmakers, “Mr. Chairman, I am shocked that we are going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee today.” She denied the allegations, called the questioning offensive, and said Lewandowski does not have decision-making authority.