Dem
47
GOP
53
In MAGAland, women can play a role, as long as they adopt the correct looks (some of which may involve substantial plastic surgery) and attitude. AG Pam Bondi testified before Congress last week and was exceptionally aggressive, sneering at the members and contemptuous of their daring to ask her questions at all. She didn't answer many of their questions and certainly never admitted doing anything wrong. She also has no trouble lying through her teeth repeatedly.
On Tuesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem testified before the Senate and yesterday before the House. Her testimony actually matters because Congress has yet to fund her department. Not having any money to spend until January would probably not be much fun at all. Funding for her flying bedroom might even be at stake, so she had a lot on the line. But she followed the Bondi playbook of never admitting she had ever did anything wrong, even when caught red-handed.
In the Senate, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked her why she had labeled nurse Alex Pretti, who ICE agents shot and killed in cold blood, a domestic terrorist. She refused to back down. Durbin then said: "Is it so hard to say you were wrong?" She didn't answer his question and just deflected it. She also didn't back down from saying that Pretti wanted to massacre law enforcement officers. He did have a legal gun but it was in his waistband the whole time until an officer grabbed it away from him.
And it wasn't just Democrats who lit into Noem. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) really ripped into her in a 10-minute tirade. He called DHS a failure and said she should resign or be fired. He also kept calling her "Miss Noem," which is odd because despite her traveling around with advisor Corey Lewandowski in her flying bedroom, she is married (to someone else). It would have been more respectful for Tillis to refer to her as "Secretary," but he was clearly incensed by her behavior, both outside the Senate and inside it. He vowed to block all Senate business until she gives satisfactory answers to his questions. Since he decided not to run for reelection, he has been a free man.
Wednesday's hearing in the House didn't go any better. Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee welcomed her with open arms but Democrats certainly did not. Ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) accused of her a "smear campaign" targeting two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who her goons killed in Minneapolis. Rep. Rebecca Balint (D-VT) accused her of lying to federal judges and said "This conduct alone is impeachable, and I want you to know that Americans will get accountability for the damage that you have done, for the lawlessness of aspects of DHS, for killing innocent Americans, for terrorizing children."
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) wanted her to explain why Noem's $220-million ad campaign, starring Kristi Noem talking about how great DHS is, was given to a Trump ally with no competitive bidding. She told the Senate there was competitive bidding. Neguse said he knew she lied to the Senate, noting "The reason we know [her statement to the Senate] is untrue is because under federal law your agency is required, whenever the agency is required to skip competitive bidding, to file a notice with the public explaining why. And in this case, your agency filed a notice." Lying to the Senate could easily be a future article of impeachment. Neguse also noted:
You want the American people to believe that this is all above board? That $143 million of taxpayer money just happened to go to one company that doesn't have a headquarters, doesn't have a website, has never done work for the federal government before, and is registered, apparently, or attached to a residence from a political operative. And of course, one of the subcontractors of that contract, as you know, is a political firm that's tied to you back when you were governor of South Dakota.
Noem simply said it was "all done correctly, all done legally."
Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) asked her whether ICE is creating a database of protesters. Noem said "No we are not creating a database." Correa then cited a video in which an agent said they were collecting information about protesters for a database. Also, border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in January that they were creating a database." Noem denied it all again.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said Noem should be fired. She said: "DHS is supposed to be protecting our residents and upholding constitutional protections but you've turned that on the head. You have actually turned the United States government against its own residents and you've had multiple chances to take accountability, to apologize to these folks and others across the country, but you have failed to do it."
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) wanted to know why ICE agents were not wearing body cameras. Noem pleaded poverty. Massie said that DHS received $165 billion in the BBB and that ought to be enough to fund cameras for all agents. It went on and on like this, with non-Massie Republicans praising Noem to the moon and Democrats pointing out her endless stream of lies and lawbreaking. Noem was only 15 when Roy Cohn died, so her probably never tutored her, but she somehow picked up his three principles of life: always attack, deny everything, and never surrender.
If the Democrats capture the House in November, there could well be an impeachathon, especially if they also control the Senate so they can hold actual trials of the impeachees. Noem is a bald-faced liar, a detestable and self-dealing person, and a show horse rather than a workhorse. She could well be the first person impeached next year. (V)