Top Democrats claim Kristi Noem lied to Congress, call for DOJ investigation
Two of the nation’s top Democrats are calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for perjury.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, say they believe Noem made false statements when she appeared before their committees earlier this month.
They’re focusing specifically on Noem’s assertion that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not violate court orders in its immigration enforcement.
“A number of her statements appear to violate criminal statutes prohibiting perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress,” the lawmakers wrote in their referral.
Durbin and Raskin acknowledged they have “low expectations” that the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Trump administration will open an investigation. However, they note charges can be brought for up to five years after testimony, and say a future administration could still pursue the case.
The testimony
Among the issues raised is Noem’s testimony about a $220 million ad campaign.
Noem said President Donald Trump had signed off on it, but Trump later told Reuters, “I never knew anything about it.”
“New public reporting, however, indicates that those statements may have been false,” Raskin and Durbin wrote. “It has been reported that not only did the Secretary ‘handpick’ four companies for the ad campaign, but procurement records show the ‘ad work was awarded’ using ‘other than full and open competition,’ and the four companies were politically connected to Noem and her allies.”
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The 2025 National Security Strategy declared a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, elevating migration and cartel violence to the top of the national security hierarchy.
Noem also said that DHS follows “all federal court orders” and that she was not aware “of any situations” where someone at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violated a court order or misled a federal judge.
Those claims conflict with a Minnesota federal judge, who wrote in a Feb. 26 court order that ICE had violated 210 orders in 143 separate cases.
The lawmakers also point to statements about conditions in ICE detention centers. Noem said facilities adhere to federal detention standards, but internal audits have found “significant failures” in medical care.
She also testified that ICE does not detain U.S. citizens, but Raskin and Durbin were able to point out 170 cases of citizens being detained.
Noem being replaced
Noem testified on March 3 and 4. The next day, Trump announced on social media he was replacing her as DHS secretary.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, D-Okla., is set to take over March 31. His confirmation hearing will take place Wednesday in Washington.
Noem will continue to serve in the Trump administration in a new role as special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” a newly created security initiative focuses on cartel activity, countering Chinese influence, and stopping migration.
Before her departure, Noem had been facing growing calls to resign, particularly after two fatal shootings involving immigration enforcement officers and U.S. citizens in January.
Noem not the only departure
Noem is not the only administration official leaving amid scrutiny of immigration enforcement efforts.
Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino is retiring at the end of this month. The longtime patrol agent had been leading high-profile immigration operations in major U.S. cities before being removed from that role.
His tenure drew criticism after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Bovino also faced backlash for comments following Pretti’s death, when he claimed Pretti planned to “massacre” federal agents without providing evidence.
One of Noem’s top advisors, Corey Lewandowski, is also expected to leave his position as a special government employee at the end of the month.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
