The former Trump administration official who is centering a congressional campaign around her work for the ousted Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is employing the firm at the center of a scandal-plagued $200 million contract, which is run by the husband of another one of Noem&#8217;s top confidants.
Madison Sheahan, a junior political aide from Noem&#8217;s time as South Dakota governor who was installed as deputy director of ICE, is now running for Congress in Ohio–while living with her parents–as the woman who oversaw &#8220;strategy and execution in support of border security&#8221; for the Trump administration.
Doing work on her campaign is the Strategy Group, CEO Ben Yoho told The Daily Wire. Yoho is married to Tricia McLaughlin, who The Daily Wire has learned was closely involved in the procurement process that led to her husband profiting off of a $200 million ad campaign.
A current DHS official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Daily Wire that McLaughlin, the former Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, had significant involvement in the procurement process, and is on emails about the vendor selection. That information is contrary to Noem&#8217;s testimony to Congress, when she said that the contract &#8220;went out to a competitive bid and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials.”
Noem was fired last week, in part over her handling of the $200 million ad campaign. She will leave her DHS post at the end of March.
McLaughlin acknowledged to The Daily Wire that she was part of a group of officials that heard presentations from each company that was considered for the work in February 2025. One of the successful firms later subcontracted to McLaughlin&#8217;s husband’s company, though they didn&#8217;t marry until August.
McLaughlin said DHS has no control over who a firm subcontracts with, and that she recused herself from any involvement after learning that it had subcontracted with her husband.
The admission by McLaughlin means that both portions of Noem&#8217;s testimony–that the contracts were competed and were chosen by career officials–were misleading. The Daily Wire previously reported that only three firms – approached by DHS in advance – were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/docs-show-dhs-specifically-steered-200m-ad-contracts-raising-questions-about-noems-testimony">allowed</a> to bid. DHS said it selected them by reviewing &#8220;websites&#8221; and &#8220;industry publications,&#8221; even though such reviews would have brought up little information about the firms, all of which were politically connected.
McLaughlin told The Daily Wire that the companies made pitches to &#8220;me and a group of officials.” A justification for departing from the practice of open bidding is signed by four people whose names are redacted. One, with the title “Program Office Representative,&#8221; might contain her signature, she said, since the ads fell under her department.
Two of the three companies received contracts. Safe America Media LLC, which was incorporated just days earlier, wound up subcontracting production work to the Strategy Group, McLaughlin&#8217;s husband&#8217;s firm. Strategy Group had also done Noem&#8217;s media as governor, after, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-03-06/noem-dhs-ad-blitz-benefits-firms-linked-to-trump-campaigns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a> reported, the firm was introduced to Noem by Corey Lewandowski, her top aide at DHS and rumored affair partner
McLaughlin said Safe America Media LLC was one of three that DHS asked to bid because the group of DHS officials knew it was run by Patrick McCarthy and Mike McElwain, who “are some of the best in the business, they&#8217;ve had a storied, illustrious career.&#8221;
&#8220;I was just one of the people involved,&#8221; she told The Daily Wire.
The second firm was People Who Think LLC, which had overlapped with Noem aides through a previous campaign in Louisiana for Gov. Jeff Landry. Lewandowski worked for the campaign, and Strategy Group <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-strategy-group-company_congratulations-to-governor-elect-jeff-landry-activity-7119740763407618048-o9Up/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ran ads</a> for a PAC supporting his bid.
“People Who Think is a storied company. These people all went through presentations,” McLaughlin said. McLaughlin sent a statement from DHS General Counsel James Percival calling allegations against her baseless.
&#8220;I have personally reviewed the allegations against Ms. McLaughlin, and I find them to be baseless,&#8221; Percival said. &#8220;Nothing illegal or unethical occurred with respect to these contracts. Ms. McLaughlin was not involved in selecting any subcontractors.”
Sheahan also previously worked for Landry. The congressional hopeful graduated college in 2019 before working as then-Gov. Noem&#8217;s political director. From January 2024 to March 2025, she worked for Gov. Landry as Louisiana&#8217;s Secretary of Wildlife and Fisheries, or so-called &#8220;fish cop.&#8221;
An Ohio blog called <a href="https://www.rooster.info/p/madison-sheahan-oh09-bob-paduchik-ben-yoho-garrett-arnold-corey-lewandowski" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Rooster</a> claimed that Sheahan&#8217;s appointment in the Landry administration was orchestrated by Lewandowski. It said after Louisiana fishermen were baffled by the pick, she cited her time on Ohio State&#8217;s rowing team as bona fides.
Noem then baffled Washington by picking Sheahan, who turned 28 that month, for one of the most important positions in the Trump administration&#8217;s signature effort to deport illegal immigrants. Sheahan mused to<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/kristi-noem-corey-lewandowski-dhs-fema-trump-enforcers.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> New York Magazine</a>: &#8220;At the end of the day, what really makes anybody qualified for any job?”&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1058073" style="width: 781px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1058073" class="size-large wp-image-1058073" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Sheahan-ad-771x576.jpg" alt="" width="771" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Sheahan-ad-771x576.jpg 771w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Sheahan-ad-300x224.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Sheahan-ad-768x574.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Sheahan-ad-1536x1148.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Sheahan-ad-2048x1530.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px" />Screenshot of Sheahan ad featuring Kristi Noem</div>
Sheahan has been at the center of concerns about spending decisions at the department under Noem.
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/noem-handpicked-contractors-lead-100-million-ice-recruitment-campaign-rcna261968" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a> reported last week that Sheahan steered a second set of lucrative contracts – this time advertising to recruit ICE employees – to the same two firms. NBC said that Sheahan &#8220;threatened the job of an ICE employee for suggesting that the agency consider other contractors, according to internal communications. Sheahan said the contract award was &#8216;a decision made by the secretary,&#8217; according to internal communications.&#8221;
In September 2025, the<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=68360fad2b024f0b8e90f5a03f8822bd&amp;mediatype=video" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Associated Press</a> photographed Noem, Sheahan, and Landry at a new ICE prison in the state, with Landry saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m proud to stand alongside Secretary Noem, General Bondi, Deputy Director Sheahan as we announce the opening of the Louisiana lockup, which will house the worst of the worst illegal criminal aliens.&#8221; ICE paid the state more than<a href="https://lailluminator.com/briefs/ice-angola/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> $1 million</a> a month to use the facility.
The <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4478925/deputy-director-ice-bought-thousands-marked-vehicles-cannot-use/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Examiner</a> reported this week that Sheahan, with the support of Lewandowski, had ICE purchase millions of dollars in vehicles wrapped in flashy DHS logos and slogans. The vehicles were purchased without competition, and couldn&#8217;t be used because ICE apprehends illegal immigrants by deploying unmarked vehicles, the report claimed.
DHS denied the vehicles weren&#8217;t being used in a statement to The Daily Wire: “Any allegation that these new vehicles are not being used is FALSE.”
“Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE finally has the resources to grow its workforce to support ICE’s mission, and that will include all types of additional vehicles,” the agency said. “These specific vehicles are supplementing the existing ICE fleet and support operations across the country.”
During the 2020 election, Sheahan was put in charge of a Wisconsin recount that wound up increasing Kamala Harris&#8217; margin of victory, a GOP operative told The Daily Wire on condition of anonymity.
&#8220;She was walking around with a lot of self-importance without actually doing a whole lot,&#8221; the operative said. He said Sheahan was brought onto the Trump campaign by Clayton Henson, a Trump campaign regional director who, like McLaughlin and Sheahan, is an operative from Ohio.
Sheahan resigned from ICE in January to run for Congress in Ohio after, The Rooster claimed, Henson played a role in redistricting. She referred questions to a consultant, Bob Paduchik, who declined to speak on the record.

Screenshot

Firm At Center Of $200M Contract That Led To Noem Ouster Tied To Two Top Officials

Department of Homeland Security

Kristi Noem

The writing was already on the wall before President Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem from her post as Homeland Security Secretary.
Key officials tied to some projects that have received massive scrutiny for their hefty price tags left the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the weeks leading up to Noem&#8217;s ouster.
Tricia McLaughlin, Noem&#8217;s chief spokeswoman, left the agency last month. At the time, DHS said she began planning to leave in December, but stayed on in the aftermath of the two fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January.
McLaughlin was tied to the scandal that led to Noem&#8217;s demise involving $200 million contracts for flashy TV ads promoting the secretary.
Last week, Noem testified to Congress that the contracts “went out to a competitive bid and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/docs-show-dhs-specifically-steered-200m-ad-contracts-raising-questions-about-noems-testimony?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Docs+Show+DHS+Specifically+Steered+%24200M+Ad+Contracts%2C+Raising+Questions+About+Noem%E2%80%99s+Testimony" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Records obtained by The Daily Wire</a> showed that the contracts were awarded using “other than full and open competition” to a company formed days before. That company subcontracted some of the work to a group run by McLaughlin&#8217;s husband.
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Procurement Operations (OPO), on behalf of the Office of DHS Public Affairs office intends to limit competition to three contractors,” a justification for the decision said.
A competition waiver stated that the department researched the internet and “industry publications” to choose Safe America Media LLC to produce the ads.
The subcontractor, Strategy Group, said Tuesday it “has never had a contract with DHS,” adding that “We had a subcontract with Safe America for limited production services.”
“Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements, and 6 produced radio advertisements,” the company said.
McLaughlin referred The Daily Wire to a recent statement from DHS General Counsel James Percival, who said he&#8217;s &#8220;personally reviewed the allegations&#8221; against her and &#8220;find them to be baseless.&#8221;
&#8220;Nothing illegal or unethical occurred with respect to these contracts. Ms. McLaughlin was not involved in selecting any subcontractors. She is, however, a superstar in the public affairs world, so I am not surprised that she married a successful businessman whose services were attractive to these outside firms,&#8221; Percival said.
McLaughlin herself said in a phone conversation with The Daily Wire that &#8220;As soon as it became clear that my husband&#8217;s firm would at all be involved in subcontracting, which subcontracting DHS has no &#8230; there&#8217;s no legal mechanism that we can dictate who is subcontracted to,&#8221; adding &#8220;So as soon as that became clear to me &#8230; I immediately firewalled, recused myself from anything with subcontractors.&#8221;
Then-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, who left the Trump administration in January to launch a campaign for Congress in Ohio, was involved in a separate $100 million campaign to recruit more immigration officers, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/noem-handpicked-contractors-lead-100-million-ice-recruitment-campaign-rcna261968" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NBC News. The contract was awarded to People Who Think and Safe America Media.
Sheahan previously served as the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and worked for Noem as she served as the South Dakota governor.
But before it was handed out to those groups, Sheahan battled with an ICE employee she threatened after he suggested that the agency consider other contractors that were offering to do the work for a cheaper price, according to NBC, which cited internal communications. The decision to award the contract, she said, was &#8220;made by the secretary.&#8221;
Sheahan called the employee into her office before yelling at him for trying to go against the secretary, an administration official who heard the conversation told NBC.
The employee eventually gave up the fight and let the contracts go to the companies of Noem&#8217;s choosing, according to the report.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We will have our country back.<a href="https://t.co/nZkBEj4evQ">https://t.co/nZkBEj4evQ</a> <a href="https://t.co/gYKzwMJV52">pic.twitter.com/gYKzwMJV52</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1956091376246071553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sheahan also wasted millions in taxpayer funds to purchase a couple of thousand flashy pickup trucks and SUVs emblazoned with ICE&#8217;s logo, despite agents working in a heightened threat environment, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4478925/deputy-director-ice-bought-thousands-marked-vehicles-cannot-use/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Washington Examiner.
Three Homeland Security sources told The Daily Wire they believe the cars only exposed them at a time when threats against ICE are at an all-time high. The sources were granted anonymity because they&#8217;re not authorized to speak publicly.
The agency traditionally uses unmarked vehicles to maintain the element of surprise and protect their safety. ICE agents currently face an 8,000% increase in death threats and a 1,300% surge in assaults, according to DHS.
One source called the decision to deploy the cars &#8220;absurd,&#8221; adding that agents who were forced to use the cars &#8220;were apoplectic&#8221; feeling they put a &#8220;huge target on them.&#8221;
Another source said it &#8220;does not make sense&#8221; &#8220;for an agency that arrests individuals hiding and trying to prevent us from doing our job.&#8221;
&#8220;The need for surveillance, the element of surprise, and the need to remain inconspicuous, requires the use of unmarked vehicles,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;We would never be able to arrest anyone rolling around in a marked ICE vehicle that would alert anyone and everyone to our presence in the area.&#8221;
DHS pushed back on claims that the cars were a waste of taxpayer funds, telling The Daily Wire that &#8220;Any allegation that these new vehicles are not being used is FALSE.&#8221;
“Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE finally has the resources to grow its workforce to support ICE’s mission, and that will include all types of additional vehicles,&#8221; the agency said. &#8220;These specific vehicles are supplementing the existing ICE fleet and support operations across the country.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION-ICE-PRISON

Before Noem’s Ouster, Key Officials Tied To Costly And Wasteful Projects Left DHS

Donald Trump

President Trump is not subject to brain rot.
Kristi Noem was captured by brain rot, the online incentive structure that causes people to do dumb things for clicks and ubiquity. She&#8217;s not the only one. Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Gavin Newsom are all terminal brain rot patients.
But Trump is not. And so he fired Kristi Noem, who took the president’s single most popular issue and proceeded to run it directly into the ground.
In April 2025, President Trump&#8217;s approval rating on his handling of border security and immigration was 49%. Strong disapproval was just 34%, according to NBC News. By February 2026, according to the same NBC News poll, his approval on the issue had dropped to 40%, and strong disapproval had jumped 15 points to 49%.
That takes some doing, but somehow Kristi Noem achieved it.
The problem wasn&#8217;t Trump&#8217;s actual immigration policy, which remains highly popular. Americans still want large-scale deportations, but they would like to focus on criminals first. The moment that Noem was replaced in Minneapolis by White House border czar Tom Homan, the Democratic hysterics stopped.
That&#8217;s not because Democrats suddenly became good-hearted border hawks on this issue. It&#8217;s because Tom Homan does what good administrators should. He quietly goes about his job in a calm, collected fashion. He actually implements policies. He doesn’t make the story about himself.
That&#8217;s the opposite of Kristi Noem, who was into photo ops, which may play well online for people who get very excited about performative politics, but do not play particularly well in mainstream America.
She called Renee Good a domestic terrorist and did it again with Alex Pretti, who similarly was shot by federal agents while resisting arrest. I agree that both the Good and the Pretti shoots were legally justifiable. But do I think either of them was a domestic terrorist with mass murder on their minds?
I don&#8217;t, and most Americans don&#8217;t. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2382-trump-you-re-fired?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
But Kristi Noem proceeded to put the administration in an unwinnable public relations position by going whole hog. And she blamed everybody else in the administration for it, and then denied doing it.
In fact, she apparently spent some $220 million on an ad campaign featuring — wait for it — Kristi Noem.
She apparently put together a sweetheart deal for her friends to produce exactly those commercials.
Noem testified in front of the Senate that President Trump had cleared this use of taxpayer funds.
I do not think President Trump sat there and greenlit that commercial.
It&#8217;s one thing to direct cash to your friends, to make commercials to burnish your future presidential run. It&#8217;s another thing to then turn around and blame President Trump for that outlay.
And that wasn&#8217;t Noem&#8217;s only scandal, of course.
Obviously, the most salacious scandal involving Noem was her relationship with Corey Lewandowski, which pretty much everybody in D.C. knows likely goes well beyond the platonic.
The pair have apparently been using a luxury 737 Max jet with a private cabin in the back for their travel around the country. DHS is leasing that plane. Now they&#8217;re trying to acquire it for $70 million.
The bottom line is that Kristi Noem was not doing a good job, and it was past time for her to go.
President Trump announced yesterday that he would be replacing her with Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin. He put out a statement: &#8220;I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026. The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at &#8216;Homeland.'&#8221;
Democrats, of course, are trying to claim victory.
Gavin Newsom, fresh off of whatever anti-Israel podcast he can find, is trying to regain those hard-Left voters, saying that Noem&#8217;s firing represents a sort of retreat by the administration. He said:
“Donald Trump is in retreat. Today is a perfect example of that. With the first firing of a high-profile cabinet member, he&#8217;s in retreat, places like Minnesota, because the steel spine of citizens that stood up, real patriots in this country pushed back against all that, and you&#8217;re seeing it globally. You&#8217;re exactly right. That&#8217;s why Trump is acting out as he always does: Weakness masquerading as strength.”
But this, of course, is incredibly stupid. Trump is not retreating. He is making a smart adjustment. You think Markwayne Mullin is going to be soft on the border?
It&#8217;s obviously the right move.
And it gives an important lesson: Addiction to the clicks and the giggles of the internet rots your brain and leaves you on the wrong side of normal Americans.
Up to and including President Trump.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Does TV Interview At The White House

President Trump, Unlike Others, Doesn’t Suffer From Brain Rot

Ben Shapiro

Opinion

Trump Administration

Homeland Security agents are largely ready for new leadership after President Donald Trump ousted Kristi Noem as their boss on Thursday.
One Border Patrol official said Noem&#8217;s ousting &#8220;was bound to happen,&#8221; citing her handling of immigration raids in Minneapolis.
Noem received backlash for labeling Alex Pretti, the anti-ICE activist who was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, as a domestic terrorist before a federal investigation concluded.
The agent also cited scrutiny Noem received for a <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/investigations/4444838/dhs-officials-point-fingers-delay-border-wall-construction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> delay in border wall construction and an internal campaign the secretary reportedly spearheaded to oust Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott.
Scott is highly respected among federal law enforcement officials and previously served as the national chief of Border Patrol.
&#8220;It was a questionable pick to begin with, no experience in the space,&#8221; the agent said. &#8220;What a train wreck.&#8221;
&#8220;Between the Minneapolis debacle, the slowdown on approving wall contracts, the suspected affair, and the attempt to oust Rodney, one of the most respected chiefs, she needed to go. What a disaster of a secretary,&#8221; the agent added.
One Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer said the news of Noem&#8217;s departure was &#8220;not surprising&#8221; after Trump replaced Noem&#8217;s ally and top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, who was leading aggressive immigration raids in Minneapolis, after the Pretti shooting.
Trump swiftly sent in White House border czar Tom Homan, who shifted to conducting more targeted arrests in the Twin Cities, while brokering agreements with local law enforcement to work with ICE.
&#8220;After she was pulled from Minneapolis and replaced by Homan, I saw the writing on the wall,&#8221; the officer said.
A Border Patrol agent echoed that sentiment, saying Noem wasn&#8217;t &#8220;listening to Homan and Scott.&#8221; The agent said she also &#8220;threw Bovino to the wolves.&#8221;
Trump announced Noem&#8217;s demotion in a Truth Social post, saying he will replace her with Republican Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, a staunch ally of the president. Noem&#8217;s firing came after she blamed Trump during a heated Congressional hearing for questionable $200 million TV ad contracts that promoted deportations and border security.
Hours before announcing the leadership change, Trump told Reuters that he had no knowledge of the expensive contracts.
Noem testified that the contracts “went out to a competitive bid and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials.”
But the contracts were awarded using “other than full and open competition” to a company formed days before, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/docs-show-dhs-specifically-steered-200m-ad-contracts-raising-questions-about-noems-testimony?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Docs+Show+DHS+Specifically+Steered+%24200M+Ad+Contracts%2C+Raising+Questions+About+Noem%E2%80%99s+Testimony" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to records obtained by The Daily Wire</a>. That company then subcontracted the work to a group run by the husband of Noem&#8217;s former spokeswoman.
Now, Mullin will have to earn the trust of career law enforcement officials at the Department of Homeland Security who took issue with Noem over her lack of experience in the space.
Mullin doesn&#8217;t have law enforcement experience either, but is a businessman, rancher, and MMA fighter, according to his official bio.
Republican North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who has been calling on Noem to resign for weeks, said Mullin &#8220;is a great guy and a great choice to lead DHS, restore competence, and refocus efforts on quickly distributing disaster aid, keeping the border secure, and targeting violent illegal immigrants for deportation.&#8221;
&#8220;Another big positive: he likes dogs,&#8221; he added, referring to Noem&#8217;s book where she admitted to shooting her dog for misbehaving during a hunting outing.
Noem will finish out her term as secretary through the end of the month before Mullin takes over and begins a confirmation process, Trump said.
While Mullin has been characterized as a hawk on cracking down on illegal immigration and supporting Trump&#8217;s mass deportation campaign, he received a C+ for his record on restricting legal immigration by the conservative immigration group <a href="https://www.numbersusa.com/grades/11605" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NumbersUSA</a>.
Mullin has yet to support legislation requiring employers to use the E-Verify immigration status check, according to the conservative organization.
He has also yet to join in on legislation to end chain migration, end birthright citizenship, and limit the number of foreign workers in the United States.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Testifies During House Judiciary Committee Hearing

DHS Rank And File Aren’t So Sad To See Noem Go

Rank And File At DHS Aren't So Sad To See Noem Go And Here's What Could Change

Markwayne Mullin

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he planned to replace current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) — and while the impact of that shake-up will certainly be felt across the administration and the Senate, it also marks a clear departure from the frequent personnel shakeups of Trump&#8217;s first term.
By this point in Trump’s first administration, more than half a dozen <a href="https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2017/08/politics/trump-admin-departures-trnd/#:~:text=Trump%20was%20irked%20by%20reports,Secretary%20of%20Labor%20%7C%20Trump%20appointee">major players</a> had already been summarily dismissed — from an adviser and a deputy chief of staff to Health and Human Services Secretary and even Secretary of State. And although a few of those who got the presidential boot were holdovers from former President Barack Obama&#8217;s administration, a fair few were people Trump had believed were the right fit for his administration — until they weren&#8217;t.
It was no surprise, for example, that Trump would fire Deputy Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/youre-fired-trump-sacks-acting-attorney-general-ben-shapiro">Sally Yates</a> — an Obama appointee — in the first ten days of his administration. General Michael Flynn lasted three weeks before he was fired as National Security Advisor. Obama&#8217;s Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, resigned by mid-April, and in early May, Trump fired FBI Director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-fires-fbi-director-comey-ben-shapiro">James Comey</a>.
But by mid-July, the president was already on his second White House Press Secretary after Sean Spicer resigned, and by the end of the month, the tenure of other staffers was being measured in &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/legend-scaramucci-fired-white-house-after-week-ben-shapiro">Scaramuccis</a>&#8221; after Anthony Scaramucci only lasted ten days as White House Communications Director. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus was also fired before the end of July, and advisors Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka were gone before the end of August.
The first cabinet member to go was Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who resigned from his post in late September. And by the end of March 2018, two more cabinet members were out — Secretary of State <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-rex-tillerson-out-secretary-state-amanda-prestigiacomo">Rex Tillerson</a> and Secretary of Veterans Affairs <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-ousts-scandal-plagued-veterans-ryan-saavedra">David Shulkin</a> — along with a laundry list of lower-level staffers.
Trump almost constantly faced attacks and leaks from staff on their way out the door. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/omarosa-former-star-apprentice-leave-white-house-joseph-curl">Omarosa Manigault Newman</a>, for example, was fired in December of 2017 — and within a year, she&#8217;d released a tell-all book and made a slew of accusations against the man who first made her a star on NBC&#8217;s &#8220;The Apprentice.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnbcs-kernen-torches-scaramucci-over-trump-takes-do-you-ever-eat-any-crow">Scaramucci</a> also turned on Trump after he was fired, referring to his former boss — and former friend — as an &#8220;orange wrecking ball,&#8221; and said in 2019 that Trump was suffering from &#8220;early stage fascism.&#8221; Tillerson was slightly more measured in his criticisms of the president, calling him &#8220;undisciplined&#8221; and claiming that he &#8220;disregards briefing reports.&#8221;
After screening more strictly for loyalty his second time around, Trump&#8217;s staff retention has been markedly higher.
Noem is just the second big name in the second Trump administration to be removed from her post — the first being former National Security Adviser <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/flurry-of-reports-claim-mike-waltz-out-as-national-security-adviser">Michael Waltz</a> — and neither of the two have been asked or ordered to leave the administration entirely. Waltz has since been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/curveball-amid-rumors-that-mike-waltz-was-fired-trump-gives-him-another-top-admin-post">appointed</a> to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations, and Noem <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-fires-dhs-secretary-kristi-noem-announces-replacement">will become</a> Trump&#8217;s Special Envoy for &#8220;The Shield of the Americas,&#8221; a western hemisphere security initiative that is set to be unveiled in the coming days.

President Donald J. Trump and Kristi Noem

What Noem Ouster Says About Trump Administration 2.0

James Comey

Politics

Rex Tillerson

NASHVILLE—“You go into these positions understanding that your shelf life can be limited and you&#8217;re also always walking on eggs. We all work by the grace of somebody.” 
That was the response from Errol, a law enforcement officer from New York, minutes after listening to outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem address law enforcement from around the country shortly after she was reassigned by President Donald Trump.
At 1:41 p.m., Trump announced on Truth Social that he was moving Noem from head of the Department of Homeland Security to a special envoy for a new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere. He said Noem would be replaced by Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin. 
Roughly 25 minutes later, Noem walked onto the stage in a conference room of the Grand Hyatt Hotel off Broadway to talk to law enforcement gathered for the Major Cities Conference organized by the Sergeants Benevolent Association. 
During her speech to law enforcement gathered for the Major Cities Conference, Noem spoke for roughly 35 minutes about the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, efforts to work with local law enforcement, and support for the families of law enforcement officers. She did not discuss her new role or take questions about her replacement at DHS. 
&#8220;Thank you for all that you do to keep people safe and to hold your oath, to be out in our communities, protecting people from public safety threats, but also being an example to our next generation of Americans,&#8221; Noem said.
Noem touted the Trump administration&#8217;s efforts to crack down on crime in cities like Memphis and its partnership with local law enforcement agencies on immigration enforcement throughout her speech.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Noem just left. No questions about Trump reassigning her from being DHS secretary <a href="https://t.co/tDEDp7fZlt">pic.twitter.com/tDEDp7fZlt</a>
— Leif Le Mahieu (@leif_lemahieu) <a href="https://twitter.com/leif_lemahieu/status/2029643369920774339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Noem took a few questions after her speech from several attendees in front of the crowd of attendees and a few who were lined up by the staff. None of those who asked questions mentioned her replacement at DHS.
In the minutes leading up to the speech, attendees started buzzing as the news broke. One man walked by the section where the press was delegated to in the back and excitedly asked if reporters had seen Trump’s post. 
After the speech, The Daily Wire spoke with multiple attendees from coast to coast. They all praised the Trump administration’s strong support for law enforcement and said they appreciated Noem’s speech. 
Joel, a police officer from Milwaukee, said he thought the speech was “very good” and said he thought Noem did a “great job” as head of DHS. 
“He’s [Trump] done this with other people. I don’t necessarily think that it means that she didn’t do a good job. I just think Trump likes to shake things up,” he said. “Maybe with everything that’s going on, he just wants someone to get a different voice. I saw that he’s going to move her to another position, so it’s not like he’s firing her like people want to put out there and say, because they want to make her look bad.” 
He added that he had a “lot of respect” for Noem and that she still gave the speech despite the news breaking minutes before. 
Stephen, from Central California, said he saw the news break and was wondering if Noem would show up for the speech. 
“I thought she was doing a good job. You get politics at that highest level, which is kind of the nature of it,” adding that it was “pretty rare” for a cabinet secretary to make it the entire presidency. 
Errol from New York said he thought Noem’s speech was “excellent” and said it was nice to hear her speak. 
Noem’s tenure as head of DHS comes to an end after a heated Senate hearing, in which Noem blamed Trump for approving questionable contracts worth over $200 million for deportation ads, which raised <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/docs-show-dhs-specifically-steered-200m-ad-contracts-raising-questions-about-noems-testimony?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=13&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Docs+Show+DHS+Specifically+Steered+%24200M+Ad+Contracts%2C+Raising+Questions+About+Noem%E2%80%99s+Testimony">concerns</a> about potential conflicts of interest.

MixCollage-05-Mar-2026-03-35-PM-3998

Minutes After Trump Replaced Her, Noem Highlights Key Point About Her Work

Law Enforcement

Nashville

Tennessee

Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma told reporters on Thursday that he called his wife and his dad after President Donald Trump asked him to take over at the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump announced on Truth Social that Mullin would take over for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem beginning on March 31, pending Mullin&#8217;s Senate confirmation. The Oklahoma senator told reporters on Capitol Hill that he received the call from Trump just minutes before Trump released his statement.
Mullin described the opportunity as exciting and humbling, adding, &#8220;I had to call my dad because, I mean, it happened quick, so I had to call my wife and call my dad both. It&#8217;s just really humbling when you stop and think about it. A little kid from Westville, Oklahoma, gets to serve in the president&#8217;s Cabinet. That&#8217;s pretty neat.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s major Cabinet shakeup comes after Noem has faced criticism over the Homeland Security Department&#8217;s response to the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Noem was also grilled by lawmakers in a Senate hearing earlier this week and said that Trump approved <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/docs-show-dhs-specifically-steered-200m-ad-contracts-raising-questions-about-noems-testimony?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Docs+Show+DHS+Specifically+Steered+%24200M+Ad+Contracts%2C+Raising+Questions+About+Noem%E2%80%99s+Testimony">questionable contracts</a> for advertisements starring the DHS secretary worth over $200 million. The president said on Thursday that Noem will be reassigned to help lead a new security initiative that is set to be announced on Saturday.
In his announcement, Trump said that Noem had served the administration &#8220;well and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!).&#8221; The president added, &#8220;I thank Kristi for her service at &#8216;Homeland.'&#8221;
Mullin, a close friend of Noem&#8217;s, told reporters that he hadn&#8217;t yet spoken to the ousted DHS secretary, but would soon.
&#8220;Our families are very close, and this happened very quick, so we&#8217;re going to go have a conversation with her in just a second,&#8221; he said.
Trump called Mullin a &#8220;warrior&#8221; and said the Oklahoman &#8220;will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.&#8221;
Mullin has served in the Senate since 2023 and was a member of the House for 10 years before that. He currently serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee; the Appropriations Committee; the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; and the Indian Affairs Committee. Mullin is also a former wrestler and professional mixed martial arts fighter who posted a 5-0 career record in MMA.

A ‘Humbled’ Markwayne Mullin Reveals Who He Called First After He Was Tapped For DHS Secretary

Executive

President Donald Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Thursday after she found herself at the center of multiple scandals.
&#8220;I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026,&#8221; Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Thursday
&#8220;The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at &#8216;Homeland,'&#8221; he added.
Noem thanked Trump in a post on X, saying that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth &#8220;are incredible leaders&#8221; and that she looks &#8220;forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and…
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/2029647010002055467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
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It comes after a heated Senate hearing, in which Noem blamed Trump for approving questionable contracts worth over $200 million for deportation ads, which raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Trump himself told Reuters that he had no knowledge of the expensive contracts.
Noem testified that the contracts “went out to a competitive bid and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials.”
The contracts were awarded using “other than full and open competition,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/docs-show-dhs-specifically-steered-200m-ad-contracts-raising-questions-about-noems-testimony?author=Luke+Rosiak&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Docs+Show+DHS+Specifically+Steered+%24200M+Ad+Contracts%2C+Raising+Questions+About+Noem%E2%80%99s+Testimony">according to records obtained by The Daily Wire</a>.
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Procurement Operations (OPO), on behalf of the Office of DHS Public Affairs office intends to limit competition to three contractors,&#8221; a justification for the decision said.
A competition waiver stated that the department used internet research and “industry publications” to identify Safe America Media LLC as the primary company capable of taking on the ad campaign. Safe America Media was only incorporated days before.
The Strategy Group said Tuesday it “has never had a contract with DHS,” adding that “We had a subcontract with Safe America for limited production services.”
“Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements, and 6 produced radio advertisements,” the company said.
“If you’re going to try to question our integrity, bring actual evidence – we did,” the statement concluded.
Trump announced that Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin will replace Noem.
&#8220;Serving 10 years in the United States House of Representatives, and 3 in the Senate, Markwayne has done a tremendous job representing the wonderful People of Oklahoma, where I won all 77 out of 77 Counties — in 2016, 2020, and 2024! A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda,&#8221; Trump said in his Truth Social post.
&#8220;As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities. Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you for your attention to this matter!&#8221;
Mullin called the announcement &#8220;humbling,&#8221; adding that &#8220;it happened quick.&#8221;
He said he learned of Trump&#8217;s decision &#8220;right before&#8221; the Truth Social post.

READ: Trump’s Pink Slip Post Replacing Kristi Noem As DHS Chief

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) only allowed four hand-picked companies to bid on a $200 million ad campaign, including a brand new company that later subcontracted the work to the spouse of a top department official, a document reviewed by The Daily Wire shows.
The records raise questions about the testimony by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to the Senate on Tuesday, in which she told senators that contracts for a television ad campaign starring herself &#8220;went out to a competitive bid and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials.”
Procurement records show that the anti-illegal immigration ad work was awarded using &#8220;other than full and open competition.&#8221; A <a href="https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/73477226ef6b4bd093263512124126e9/view" target="_blank" rel="noopener">justification</a> for that decision says, &#8220;The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Procurement Operations (OPO), on behalf of the Office of DHS Public Affairs office intends to limit competition to three contractors.&#8221;
The competition waiver suggested the department used internet research and &#8220;industry publications&#8221; to identify Safe America Media LLC as one of only four companies capable of quickly doing a successful $200 million ad campaign, even though Safe America Media was only incorporated days earlier. A Google search brings up little web presence or industry publications about the firm.
&#8220;DHS reviewed industry publications, analyzed recent DHS initiatives, and evaluated vendors specializing in hyper-targeted media and advertising services. Targeted sources included government websites, industry articles, vendor platforms, and subject matter expertise. Given the immediate action to significantly reduce illegal immigration and border crossings, DHS identified four companies that specialize in domestic and international advertising campaign development, media buying, and media production. These companies are positioned, based on available resources and capabilities, to respond to this immediate need,&#8221; the justification said.
Three of those four companies &#8220;expressed, in writing, an interest in the acquisition.&#8221; The first was Safe America Media, which ultimately got the contract, and which later subcontracted a portion of the work to Strategy Group. That company is run by Ben Yoho, the husband of Noem&#8217;s first Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin.
After Noem was grilled on Capitol Hill about the contracts, Strategy Group <a href="https://x.com/StrategyGroupCo/status/2028931636314710113">posted</a> a response on X, confirming they were subcontracted through Safe America and were paid more than $200,000 for five film shoots and 51 advertisements.
Safe America Media LLC was registered by Mike McElwain, who has worked in the conservative ad industry through the firm DMM Media, though that firm also has little online presence.
Safe America Media LLC was incorporated in Delaware on February 6, 2025. The contract was awarded one week later, on February 13. That leaves just seven days for &#8220;government websites&#8221; and &#8220;industry publications&#8221; to have been written about the firm, to have led DHS to conclude that it was one of the only companies that could do the work, to approach the firm, and for it to write back with its interest.
People Who Think LLC, the second company suggested for the contract by DHS, is based in Louisiana and is linked to Innovative Advertising LLC. Its website is just an empty <a href="https://peoplewhothink.com/lander/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">landing page</a>. As of 2022, it had a federal tax lien against it, and as of 2020, it owed money to the Small Business Administration, according to a database of corporation records. The Daily Wire called for comment, but its number had been disconnected.
Its phone number is also shared by Innovative Politics, which <a href="https://innovativepolitics.com/clients/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lists</a> as a client the Trump 2016 campaign and the Louisiana Attorney General campaign of Jeff Landry. Corey Lewandowski, a top Noem adviser, previously <a href="https://lailluminator.com/2023/09/20/jeff-landry-campaign-hires-ex-trump-adviser-accused-of-sexual-misconduct/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worked for</a> Landry&#8217;s campaign.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1053841" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/dhs-contract.jpg" alt="" width="1772" height="736" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/dhs-contract.jpg 1772w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/dhs-contract-300x125.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/dhs-contract-1024x425.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/dhs-contract-768x319.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/dhs-contract-1536x638.jpg 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1772px) 100vw, 1772px" /></div>
The third company that was allowed to bid on the contract is redacted in the document, but The Daily Wire has learned that it is Knox Strategies, the firm of Erica Knight, a onetime spokeswoman for now-FBI Director Kash Patel. Knight is the only employee listed on the firm&#8217;s <a href="https://www.knoxstrats.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, which does not list ad campaigns as one of its services. Knight told The Daily Wire she received no money from DHS, and has done no work for the department.
Both Safe America Media LLC and People Who Think LLC were <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_70RDA225D00000004_7001">awarded</a> <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_70RDA225D00000003_7001">lucrative</a> open-ended &#8220;indefinite delivery&#8221; contracts, giving them the ability to keep getting additional work without new solicitations, up to $200 million, through February 2027.
In November 2025, that was modified to raise the ceiling to $240 million. Safe America Media LLC was paid $62 million for work beginning in February 2025, $15 million for work beginning in August 2025, and $65 million for work taking place from August 2025 to February 21, 2026. McLaughlin left the administration in February 2026.
People Who Think was <a href="https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_70RDA225D00000003_7001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paid</a> $77 million, according to contract records, with the most recent tranche of $25 million covering from September 2025 to March 25, 2026.
The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14664625/Kristi-Noem-Corey-Lewandowski-DC-living-arrangement-affair.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that Noem and Lewandowski are having an affair, saying that they had apartments across the street from each other and that it observed Lewandowski emerging from her apartment. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) asked Noem during a hearing Wednesday if she had sexual relations with Lewandowski. She did not directly answer the question.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepKamlagerDove?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepKamlagerDove</a>: &#8220;Secretary Noem, at any time during your tenure…have you had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski?&#8221;
Noem: &#8220;That is garbage and it is offensive that you have brought that up.&#8221;
Kamlager-Dove: &#8220;It is about your judgment and decision-making.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/H7pQywH3g7">pic.twitter.com/H7pQywH3g7</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2029292010633331156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Lewandowski has volunteered as a Special Government Employee, a classification that allows people to work in government for 130 days a year without adhering to the financial conflict-of-interest rules that apply to traditional government employees. The <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/chaos-kristi-noem-homeland-security-f095ac95" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a> said Lewandowski wanted to serve as Noem&#8217;s chief of staff, but that Trump &#8220;rejected the idea due to reports of a romantic relationship between the two.&#8221; DHS&#8217;s leadership webpage currently <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/leadership">lists</a> no chief of staff.
President Trump is considering replacing Noem for dishonesty in telling Congress that he personally greenlit spending hundreds of millions on ads starring herself, National Review <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/exclusive-trump-privately-furious-with-noem-over-senate-testimony-considering-mullin-as-replacement/">reported</a> Thursday. The procurement document, in conjunction with her answers in her testimony, could make that problem worse for Noem.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) <a href="https://x.com/ryanobles/status/2029582283145986526?s=46&amp;t=o-U3qwC25WnWaylJ0oeG7Q">told reporters Thursday</a> that he spoke to Trump about Noem&#8217;s testimony, and that &#8220;his recollection and her recollection are different.&#8221;
Noem told Congress that no political appointees were involved in the ad campaign procurement process. Four people signed the document limiting competition, but their names are redacted.
Yet Noem has also said she personally approves all large expenditures, and told the Senate, “I have a policy in place that I review contracts &#8230; My deputy chiefs have the ability to review anything under five million; above that, I evaluate.”
McLaughlin&#8217;s replacement as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Lauren Bis, reiterated that the government is not in control of who a contractor subcontracts with, and said the ads were money well-spent. &#8220;This hyper-targeted ad campaign ran in eight countries and reached over 46 million people. The results show the world heard our message that America’s borders are CLOSED,” she wrote.
The action to direct hundreds of millions of dollars was taken just days after the Trump administration took office, in February 2025. &#8220;Government would be seriously injured unless the executive agency is permitted to limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals,&#8221; the justification said. &#8220;The immediate action supported by this authority is in response to a national emergency declaration.&#8221;
On Tuesday, Sen. John Kennedy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/noem-pressed-as-republican-senators-demand-answers-in-heated-senate-hearing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grilled</a> Noem about the contracts, saying the ads warning illegal immigrants to leave the country — some of which ran on Fox News, and which starred Noem personally — were a costly exercise in personal brand-building.
&#8220;They were effective in your name recognition … to me it puts the president in a terribly awkward spot,&#8221; he said. “The head of that [firm] is married to your former spokesperson&#8230; A fifth to a quarter of a billion dollars in taxpayer money when we’re scratching for every penny.”
The majority of money in ad buys passes through to TV stations that run the ads. Subcontracts are not reported in public records, but Strategy Group — which previously worked for Noem&#8217;s gubernatorial campaign in South Dakota — said this week that &#8220;Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements, and 6 produced radio advertisements.” Its CEO, Ben Yoho, declined to comment.
This piece was updated with comment from Erika Knight.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and senior adviser Corey Lewandowski

Docs Show DHS Specifically Steered $200M Ad Contracts, Raising Questions About Noem’s Testimony

Illegal Immigation

John Kennedy

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is under fire for ad campaigns that have drawn criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike.
The criticisms began with a $200 million ad campaign in which Noem urges illegal immigrants in the United States to self-deport. Lawmakers have raised questions about the price and efficacy of the campaign, as well as the fact that the ads were produced by the husband of recently-departed DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
But the Department of Homeland Security tells The Daily Wire that the ads in question are part of a broader campaign, which also includes ads airing overseas warning illegal aliens not to attempt to cross the border.
“We now have the most secure border in American history in large part because the DHS international ad campaign warning illegal aliens to stay out was a MASSIVE success. This hyper-targeted ad campaign ran in eight countries and reached over 46 million people,” DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said.
“The results show the world heard our message that America’s borders are CLOSED. Daily encounters at the border are down 95%. Under the Biden administration the average daily apprehensions at the southern border were more 5,100. Now under President Trump and Secretary Noem, the average daily apprehensions at the southern border are about 250,” she added.
The Strategy Group, a company that had helped Noem with her 2022 gubernatorial run in South Dakota, ran the ad campaign. The company is currently run by the husband of the secretary’s recently-departed spokesperson, <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/kristi-noem-dhs-ad-campaign-strategy-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to ProPublica.
In a statement Tuesday, The Strategy Group said it “has never had a contract with DHS. We had a subcontract with Safe America for limited production services. Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements, and 6 produced radio advertisements.&#8221;
“If you’re going to try to question our integrity, bring actual evidence – we did,” the statement concluded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Strategy Group has never had a contract with DHS.
We had a subcontract with Safe America for limited production services. Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements and 6 produced radio advertisements.
If you&#8217;re going to try…
— The Strategy Group Co. (@StrategyGroupCo) <a href="https://twitter.com/StrategyGroupCo/status/2028931636314710113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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During a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD) laid into Noem over the domestic ads, saying “You&#8217;re treating the billions of dollars our colleague showered on your department like a personal slush fund, you budget in an astonishing $220 million dollars for media consulting contracts so you can star in self promoting photo shoots in lavish ad campaigns.&#8221;
Bis also responded to Raskin&#8217;s comments, saying that the Maryland Democrat &#8220;and his fellow sanctuary politicians are mad because our ad campaign SECURED the border.”
Noem pushed back in the same hearing when Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) claimed DHS had awarded a &#8220;no-bid&#8221; contract to produce the ads, saying that &#8220;other companies competed for this, because there [were] two different vendors that were chosen.&#8221;
Republican Senator John Kennedy (LA) also questioned Noem about the ads, saying it was &#8220;hard for me to believe&#8221; that President Donald Trump would be ok with the ad campaign. Kennedy, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, also suggested that DHS had not held a proper bidding process before awarding the contract.
DHS is currently facing a funding lapse as Democrats in Congress remain at odds with the White House over federal immigration enforcement tactics. However, the &#8220;One Big Beautiful Bill Act&#8221; signed last year has kept ICE largely funded, as TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard are bearing the brunt of the shutdown.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Holds News Conference

Homeland Security Defends Ad Campaigns Amid Congressional Scrutiny

Border

Congress

homeland security

Immigration

Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell tried to upend Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem&#8217;s testimony with a deportation sob story, but left out the detail that the illegal immigrant had a criminal history.
Swalwell shared the story of Miguel Lopez, 47, who was deported to his home country of Mexico in June, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday. Lopez received a deportation order in 2008, which a judge later blocked, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/deported-to-mexico-miguel-lopez-livermore-bay-area-family-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CBS News.
In 2016, the Department of Homeland Security again tried to pursue a deportation order that Lopez has fought ever since, the outlet reported.
&#8220;He does not have a job, he has not been able to provide, and he said his Spanish isn&#8217;t even that great because he hasn&#8217;t been there for 30 years, and it&#8217;s hard for him to communicate. Do you see the pain of families like Miguel Lopez, someone who did not commit a violent crime, but has been separated from his family and is not providing, is not working, do you see that pain?&#8221; Swalwell asked Noem.
Noem then asked if Lopez had a &#8220;criminal record.&#8221;
Swalwell paused before responding: &#8220;In 1995, he pled to a lesser nonviolent charge. But do you see the pain &#8230;&#8221;
Miguel was arrested in 1998 for DUI and was convicted of a lesser charge, according to CBS News.
Additionally, on his first attempt to cross the border illegally in 1996, Lopez lied to border agents by claiming to be an American citizen before he was ultimately removed to Mexico, CBS News reported. He then tried again and made it into the country on his second attempt.
Lopez, who is married to a U.S. citizen and has two children who are also U.S. citizens, was nabbed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement during an immigration hearing in May, according to CBS News.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepSwalwell</a> beclowns himself by telling a sob story of a deported illegal alien who he admits has a criminal record.<a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sec_Noem</a> informs him that he had the chance to remain with his family by self-deporting, and returning home with $2,600 per eligible family member. <a href="https://t.co/jtYH6X2Luw">pic.twitter.com/jtYH6X2Luw</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2029241779535409649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I do see the pain, and I wish people would do things correctly. If they&#8217;re not in legal status in this country, they can return home, we will pay for them to return home. I hope he got the $2,600 he could&#8217;ve gotten,&#8221; Noem said in response to Swalwell&#8217;s question.
&#8220;Do you think that makes up for not being with his family?&#8221; the California Democrat asked.
Noem said the self-deportation incentives help &#8220;because we have agreements with these countries, where they are helping to facilitate housing and training.&#8221;
&#8220;It was a nonviolent crime, secretary,&#8221; Swalwell said.
Noem went on to add: &#8220;But then he gets a chance to come back the right way. Now that he&#8217;s waited until he&#8217;s been detained and deported, he will never get the chance to come back to the United States. And so I wish that he would&#8217;ve made the right decision and decided to go home to help his family and him to be together. They have choices that they can make to be together, and we&#8217;re hopeful that they will continue to do that.&#8221;

Former US Special Counsel Jack Smith Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee

Swalwell Shares Illegal Immigrant Sob Story, Leaves Out Critical Detail

Swalwell’s Sob Story About Deported Illegal Immigrant Gets Reality Check Over One Key Detail

Deportations

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced heated questions from Republican senators while testifying on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
Noem&#8217;s testimony was the first time she appeared for questioning after two earlier shootings in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents that resulted in the deaths of two anti-ICE activists, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy was the first Republican to press Noem, grilling her about the ads she&#8217;s running to encourage illegal immigrants to self-deport and the contracts behind them.
&#8220;I believe you have a policy, Madam Secretary, that you have to approve all contracts at your department over $100 million,&#8221; Kennedy said.
Noem denied the claim, saying, &#8220;I have a policy in place that I review contracts,&#8221; adding, &#8220;My deputy chiefs have the ability to review anything under five million, above that I evaluate &#8230;&#8221;
The secretary also claimed that the policy was &#8220;extremely effective&#8221; in saving taxpayer dollars.
Kennedy, however, continued to push, asking how she squares &#8220;that concern for waste &#8230; with the fact that you have spent $220 million running television advertisements that feature you prominently.&#8221;
Noem responded that &#8220;the president tasked&#8221; her &#8220;with getting the message out to the country and other countries where we were seeing the invasion come from with putting commercials out that told them if they were in this country illegally that they needed to leave or we would detain them and remove them and they would not get the chance to come back to America the right way.&#8221;
&#8220;That has been extremely effective,&#8221; she added.
Kennedy then asked if she &#8220;bid out&#8221; the contracts for the companies that produced the ads, alluding to a potential conflict of interest.
A company known as The Strategy Group ran the ad campaign. The company had helped with Noem&#8217;s 2022 gubernatorial campaign in South Dakota and is run by the husband of the secretary&#8217;s recently-departed spokesperson, <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/kristi-noem-dhs-ad-campaign-strategy-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to ProPublica.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Strategy Group has never had a contract with DHS.
We had a subcontract with Safe America for limited production services. Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements and 6 produced radio advertisements.
If you&#8217;re going to try…
— The Strategy Group Co. (@StrategyGroupCo) <a href="https://twitter.com/StrategyGroupCo/status/2028931636314710113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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In a statement Tuesday, The Strategy Group said it &#8220;has never had a contract with DHS,&#8221; adding that &#8220;We had a subcontract with Safe America for limited production services.&#8221;
&#8220;Safe America paid us $226,137.17 total for 5 film shoots, 45 produced video advertisements, and 6 produced radio advertisements,&#8221; the company said.
&#8220;If you&#8217;re going to try to question our integrity, bring actual evidence &#8211; we did,&#8221; the statement concluded.
The Strategy Group’s ad work is the first known example of money flowing from Noem’s agency to businesses controlled by her allies and friends.
&#8220;Yes, they did, they went out to a competitive bid and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials,&#8221; Noem said.
&#8220;And the people that you ended up picking were people who had formerly done your political work in South Dakota, is that right?&#8221; Kennedy followed.
Noem replied: &#8220;No, that&#8217;s not correct, sir.&#8221;
To which Kennedy asserted, &#8220;I think it is.&#8221;
Noem insisted it wasn&#8217;t the case, and career employees had chosen the firms.
Kennedy then asked if Trump himself approved the $220 million ads &#8220;ahead of time.&#8221;
Noem eventually said he did, adding, &#8220;And one thing senator I think would be helpful to know is how effective that communication has been &#8230;&#8221;
Kennedy then gave a scathing response, saying: &#8220;Well they were effective in your name recognition &#8230; to me it puts the president in a terribly awkward spot and I&#8217;m not saying you&#8217;re not telling the truth, it&#8217;s just hard for me to believe &#8230; that he would&#8217;ve agreed to that &#8230; it&#8217;s something that we have to defend, I&#8217;m on the appropriations committee.&#8221;
&#8220;My research shows that you did not bid them out. In fact, one of the people you picked &#8230; was a company formed eleven days before you picked them and that the strategy group got most of the money,&#8221; Kennedy continued. &#8220;The head of that is married to your former spokesperson,&#8221; he said, adding, &#8220;It troubles me. A fifth to a quarter of a billion dollars in taxpayer money when we&#8217;re scratching for every penny, and we&#8217;re fighting over [unintelligible] packages. I just can&#8217;t agree with Madam Secretary.&#8221;
Still, Noem insisted she didn&#8217;t have any say in the contracts.
Kennedy then pivoted to the fatal shootings in Minneapolis, asking about Noem&#8217;s assertion that the deceased were committing &#8220;acts of domestic terrorism.&#8221;
&#8220;It appeared to be,&#8221; she said.
Noem faced heat for getting ahead of any investigations by making the statement.
That led Noem to blame &#8220;Mr. Stephen Miller at the White House&#8221; for making her jump the gun, Kennedy said.
Noem, however, denied that and said Kennedy received that information from &#8220;a news article of anonymous sources&#8221; who &#8220;say a lot of things.&#8221;
But Kennedy continued to press the issue, saying, &#8220;Well, here&#8217;s what you said on the record, I&#8217;m gonna read you your words, &#8216;Everything I&#8217;ve done, I&#8217;ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen.'&#8221;
Noem asked Kennedy for the source of that statement.
&#8220;You said that on January 27 of 2026, did I read your words accurately?&#8221; the senator asked.
&#8220;I enjoy working with the president and with Stephen Miller, and that day we were working to get as much information to the American people as possible &#8230; that is what we&#8217;ll continue to do,&#8221; Noem responded.
Kennedy asked Noem if she thought &#8220;it was fair to blame&#8221; Miller.
Noem, however, continued to deny making the statement.
&#8220;Are you denying that you said that?&#8221; he asked.
&#8220;Sir, I&#8217;m not going to speak to a situation that is relayed on anonymous sources that no one has heard me say that,&#8221; she said.
Still, Kennedy said &#8220;it was you&#8221; and that the news article was &#8220;quoting&#8221; Noem &#8220;on the record saying it&#8217;s Stephen&#8217;s fault.&#8221;
Later in the hearing, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis used his time to give Noem what he called a &#8220;performance evaluation&#8221; while renewing his previous calls for her resignation.
Tillis opened his questioning by railing against Noem for the arrest quotas that were thrust upon federal immigration agents.
&#8220;We just want numbers, we want 1,000 a day, 6,000 a day, 9,000 a day because numbers matter, right? No, they don&#8217;t matter. Quality matters, not quantity. Quality. And what we&#8217;ve seen is a disaster under your leadership, Ms. Noem.&#8221;
Tillis then took issue with her handling of the Minneapolis shootings, saying she should admit to the mistakes made by her officers.
&#8220;I believe the president recognized that you weren&#8217;t getting it done in Minneapolis, and you&#8217;re putting us further away from pointing to this. We&#8217;re beginning to give the American people to think that deporting people is wrong, it&#8217;s the exact opposite. The way you&#8217;re going about deporting them is wrong. The fact that you can&#8217;t admit to a mistake, which looks like, under investigation, is going to prove that Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti probably should not have been shot in the face and in the back,&#8221; Tillis said.
&#8220;Law enforcement needs to learn from that,&#8221; the North Carolina Republican said. &#8220;You don&#8217;t protect them by not looking after the facts. Not only should the FBI be investigating it, but every single law enforcement agency in that jurisdiction should be invited to it, so our law enforcement officers don&#8217;t have this fog cast upon them. One of the reasons that ICE officers are having threats and damn the people that threaten ICE officers because so many of them are doing a good job is because you&#8217;ve cast a pall on them by acting like we should investigate things differently.&#8221;
&#8220;Law enforcement, we&#8217;ve gotta have their back, we&#8217;ve got to make it clear when they make a mistake, then they get corrected for it, but you don&#8217;t walk away from it, and you&#8217;ve done it too many times,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TILLIS slams NOEM for Minneapolis:
&#8220;The fact that you can’t admit to a mistake which looks 
like under investigation, it’s going to prove that Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti probably should not have been shot in the face and in the back.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/UPRwb4wBxp">pic.twitter.com/UPRwb4wBxp</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JennieSTaer/status/2028880895785017415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Tillis said he also recently read Noem&#8217;s earlier book, where she revealed she shot her 14-month-old dog. Noem earlier defended the action, saying it was due to the dog&#8217;s aggression and that it was untrainable.
He slammed them as &#8220;bad decisions made in the heat of the moment, not unlike what happened up in Minneapolis.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TILLIS brings up NOEM&#8217;s book, saying her choices to shoot a dog and later a goat &#8220;are bad decisions made in the heat of the moment, not unlike what happened up in Minneapolis.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/JKO4jjvpJU">pic.twitter.com/JKO4jjvpJU</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JennieSTaer/status/2028881834432508145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Tillis also threatened Noem over the department&#8217;s failure to respond to his month-old inquiry about federal immigration raids in Charlotte.
&#8220;If I don&#8217;t get an answer to these questions &#8230; as of today, I&#8217;ll be informing leadership that I&#8217;m putting a hold on any unblocked nominations until I get a response. And in two weeks, if I don&#8217;t get a response, I&#8217;m gonna deny quorum and markup in as many committees as I can until I get a response,&#8221; he said.

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Noem Pressed As Republican Senators Demand Answers In Heated Senate Hearing

Noem Faces Grilling From Some Republicans During Heated Senate Hearing

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