"A president who valued honesty, transparency, and accountability would already have canned" Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, I wrote on Wednesday. President Donald Trump did just that the next day. Like me, Trump reportedly was troubled by Noem's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, but for different reasons. Since his decision apparently had little or nothing to do with Noem's lies about the use of deadly force by her underlings, it should not be read as a sign that the president is concerned about such things.
"The final straw for Trump was Noem's combative hearing Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee," The Wall Street Journal reported. "The president watched the testimony and was apoplectic about her performance, telling advisers that evening he would remove her from the job, according to people familiar with the matter."
