Donald Trump is nominating the Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), handing control of the administration’s sweeping immigration and deportation agenda to one of Washington’s most hardline voices and combative allies on the issue.
The announcement came on Thursday as Trump ousted Kristi Noem following a catastrophic week on Capitol Hill, during which Republican lawmakers grilled her over a $220m advertising contract that prominently featured her own image. The White House had publicly denied Trump ever approved the campaign.