Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said Friday that President Donald Trump made the “right call” in removing Kristi Noem from her position as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security after questions surfaced about a costly advertising campaign she said had been approved by the president.
Speaking during an appearance on Newsmax, Mace expressed confidence in Trump’s judgment and said she supports the president’s decision to change leadership at the agency.
“I trust President Trump and his judgment here,” Mace said.
Trump announced Thursday that Noem would step down from her leadership role at DHS and instead move into a new position as special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas.” At the same time, the president named Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as his choice to replace her at the department.
The leadership change follows weeks of mounting tension surrounding Noem’s handling of a $220 million advertising campaign promoting border security. The controversy intensified after questions emerged about how the contract for the campaign had been awarded.
Critics have argued the contract bypassed the standard bidding process and was instead awarded to a firm with political ties to Noem.
According to reports, Trump had been considering removing Noem for several weeks. However, sources told The Hill that the president delayed taking action because he did not want the move to appear as though he was responding to pressure from Democrats following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens by federal officers in Minnesota.
The issue reached a breaking point earlier this week during a tense Senate hearing, when Noem stated that Trump had personally approved the multi-million-dollar advertising campaign.
Her remarks came during a sharp exchange with Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), who pressed her on the issue during questioning.
Kennedy later said that he and the president appeared to have “different” recollections about whether Trump had authorized the spending.
Trump addressed the matter himself in an interview with NBC News on Thursday, saying he had not approved the campaign and was unhappy with the way it was handled.
“I wasn’t thrilled” about the expensive project, the president said, reiterating that he “didn’t know” about it.
Mace said Friday that she was grateful Kennedy raised the issue and helped bring attention to the spending.
“I had no idea how much money, hundreds of millions of dollars, that Kristi Noem had wasted on her personal PR for all those TV ads that are running across the country that have nothing to do with deporting illegal aliens,” Mace said.
The South Carolina lawmaker said she believes new leadership at DHS will help the administration move forward more effectively.
“And so, I’m looking forward to the new leadership. I’m looking forward to President Trump being even more effective with better leaders within DHS,” Mace said. “I think this was the right call.”
Mace, who serves on the House Oversight Committee, also suggested that the matter may not be finished and hinted that further investigation could be necessary.
“Now that I have more of this information, you know, I think that we need to go back to a potential subpoena for her through the Oversight Committee,” she said.
The congresswoman emphasized that accountability should apply even within the president’s own party.
“I don’t think she walks away from this, and she shouldn’t,” Mace added.
“As Republicans, we need to hold our own accountable because President Trump is trying to re-instill trust in our institutions, in Congress, in the White House,” she said.
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