The Senate is on track to confirm Markwayne Mullin as homeland security secretary, President Donald Trump's nominee to take over the embattled department after firing Kristi Noem amid a public backlash over the administration's immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations.
Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma known for his close friendship with Trump, has tried to present himself as a steady hand, saying that his goal as secretary would be to get the department off the front page of the news. But he tangled with the Republican chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, who questioned Mullin's character and temperament during last week's combative confirmation hearing.
