Lawmakers on Wednesday appeared to have heightened questions over Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and new reporting suggested she'll find it challenging to find allies on Capitol Hill.
CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes pointed out via text that most lawmakers "never really cared for Noem," during a report.
"I was told privately that most lawmakers never really cared for Noem to begin with -- not necessarily didn't like her but were 'meh,'" Holmes wrote in a text message thread on CNN's "The Arena." "So she doesn't have a lot of people, at least on the Hill, that would go to bat for her."
Noem, who has been at the helm of the aggressive immigration crackdown by federal agents in Minnesota, has been criticized for her role and responsibility in the Trump administration's policies.
Several lawmakers, including Democrats and Republicans, have called for Noem's impeachment after the fatal ICE shooting of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis, calling on Noem to step down or for the Trump administration to remove her from her position — otherwise impeachment proceedings would ramp up.
President Donald Trump was reportedly angry with Noem's comments behind closed doors following her statements on Pretti's killing, but publicly has not addressed it.
Sen. Thom Tillis was among several congressional leaders calling for her ousting.
"I think that what she's done in Minnesota should be disqualifying," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), in a video posted to X by congressional reporter Jamie Dupree. "She should be out of a job. And I mean really, it's just — it's just amateurish."
"It's terrible, it's making the president look bad on policies that he won on. He won on a strong message about immigration," Tillis continued. "And now nobody's talking about that, they're not talking about securing the border. They're talking about the incompetence of the leader of Homeland Security and the other people, Bovino, whatever his name is. He needs to go back to California and get his retirement papers and go."
Trump held a more than two-hour meeting with Noem on Monday night, according to reports. More than 120 members of the House of Representatives have said they support impeaching Noem. The largest union of federal employees, which represents some Border Patrol agents, is also calling on Noem to be impeached or fired.