Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana and Fox News host Tomi Lahren have issued sharp rebukes of outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, drawing parallels between her $220 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign and high-profile fraud scandals in Minnesota.
Appearing Friday on “The Will Cain Show,” Senator Kennedy explained his decision to break ranks and publicly challenge “managerial issues” within the Department of Homeland Security. Kennedy revealed that while other senators remained quiet, the White House has been aware of internal distractions at the DHS for some time.
“I play outside the pocket. I will never completely fit in, which I consider to be one of my best qualities,” Kennedy told Cain. “I have the right to remain silent, not the ability. And I’m not the only one that has these concerns.”
Kennedy warned that the controversy surrounding Noem’s spending is weakening the Republican position on immigration. “We’re distracting from our agenda and the president’s agenda. Immigration used to be our strongest issue. It’s clearly not right now,” he said.
The Louisiana senator’s comments follow a Tuesday hearing where he confronted Noem over reports that $220 million in advertising deals were awarded to firms linked to her inner circle without competitive bidding. Kennedy questioned how Noem could square such waste with her fiscal record, noting the price tag is roughly equivalent to the budget of the blockbuster film “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
On Saturday’s episode of “The Big Weekend Show,” Tomi Lahren intensified the criticism by drawing a direct line to Minnesota’s recent fraud scandals. Lahren pointed to the “learing centers” controversy—a misspelling on a shuttered Somali-run daycare center in Minneapolis—as a standard that must be applied to both parties.
“We have to be very, very fair here. If we’re calling out Democrats in Minnesota for their fraud… then you got to call it out on your own side as well,” Lahren stressed. “The math ain’t mathing here. What was going on with this ad? You’ve become a sideshow.”
Lahren, a native of Rapid City, South Dakota, mocked the 60-second advertisement that features Noem riding a horse in front of Mount Rushmore. “I don’t know how you spend $220 million riding a horse by Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is the backdrop of where I grew up,” she said.
The fallout comes just days after President Trump announced his intention to replace Noem with Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin. Fox News contributor Joe Concha added that while border crossing numbers were a priority, Noem’s “uneven and sometimes irresponsible” messaging made the leadership change necessary.
Lahren concluded the segment by supporting the decision for a fresh start at the DHS, ending with a reference to Noem’s 2024 book anecdote about shooting her puppy: “Kristi had to go. And also I will say, ‘Justice for Cricket.’”
READ: Kentucky Rep. Comer Claims Minnesota Leaders Failed To Refute Fraud Allegations
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