At least we hope so.
Trump’s DHS pick Markwayne Mullin advances out of Senate committee after tough confirmation hearing
... The vote was 8-7, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, chair of the Senate panel, the lone Republican vote against the nomination and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., the lone Democrat voting in favor. Republicans hold an 8-7 majority on the committee. ...
Paul’s “no” vote came after he lashed out at the nominee the day
prior. Mullin recently said he understood why Paul’s neighbor physically
attacked him in 2017
and called Paul, a libertarian-leaning Republican who often does not
vote with his party, a “freaking snake.” Paul called Mullin
“unrepentant.”
“I
just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political
opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to
accept limits to the proper use of force,” Paul said. ...
Fetterman declined to speak to reporters outside the hearing room
following the vote, instead referring them to a statement posted to his
X.
“In January, I called on the president to fire Noem —and he
did. I truly approached the confirmation of my colleague and friend,
Senator Mullin, with an open-mind,” Fetterman said in the post.
“We need a leader at DHS. We must reopen DHS. My AYE is rooted in a
strong committed, constructive working relationship with Senator Mullin
for our nation’s security.”
Noem has been lambasted by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for her leadership. And polling on the Trump administration’s immigration policies flagged in the winter after two U.S. citizens were killed by federal agents during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis in January.
Mullin,
signaling a break from his predecessor said Wednesday that he would
require immigration agents to obtain judicial warrants to enter private
property. He also seemed open to rethinking Immigration and Customs
Enforcement’s role in immigration crackdowns. ...
