Politics

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had her ass handed to her during a congressional hearing on Tuesday — and not just by Democrats. In a shift from their usual coddling of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members, some Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee laid into Noem, grilling her on her leadership at the agency amid growing public disapproval of the administration’s increasingly violent anti-immigration crackdown.

Noem still got plenty of softballs from Republican lawmakers, but the pressure from other members of the GOP was notable given the degree to which Trump’s immigration policies could shape the midterm elections.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is not running for reelection this year, berated Noem as the arbiter of a “disaster” for the federal government, taking her to task for everything from her handling of investigations into ICE misconduct, to shooting her dog. “I’m giving you a performance evaluation here — I’m not looking for a response,” he said.

“Quality matters, not quantity,” Tillis said of the administration’s demand that DHS meet certain deportation quotas. “What we have seen is a disaster under your leadership Mrs. Noem, a disaster. What we’ve seen are innocent people getting detained that turn out are American citizens. … Time after time after time, I have been disappointed.”