Department of Homeland Security insiders were stunned Thursday after news that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was ousted by President Donald Trump, and people inside the agency reportedly were growing increasingly frustrated over her leadership and long-rumored affair with Corey Lewandowski, a special government employee.
CNN correspondent Priscilla Alvarez reported that DHS officials were surprised after Trump said that he had decided to replace Noem with former MMA fighter and MAGA Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and demote her to "Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas."
"Multiple officials arestunned by this news," Alvarez said. "Not somuch because these officials hada lot of confidence in thesecretary and her management inthe department, but ratherbecause this happened so quicklyafter these two congressionalhearings, which, as you heardfrom Kristen, was the catalyst to the president makingthis decision."
"The officials that I have beenspeaking with over the last yearhave raised multiple concernsover the way that the secretarywas managing the department andnot only her, but her chiefadviser, Corey Lewandowski, whowas serving as a specialgovernment employee," Alvarez said. "In otherwords, he was supposed to bethere on a temporary basis. Ihad one Homeland Securityofficial who, just hours ago, aswe were talking about, thesecretary told me this: 'People are tired of their s---. Honestly, it's been unreal.' Andthat captures what I have beenhearing from so many officialsover the last several months ina department, by the way, thatunder the Trump administrationhad experienced a lot ofturnover."
Several insiders have told CNN they were waiting to see if things would change.
"This is a department that ischarged with the president'scampaign promise of massdeportations, so the departmenthas really pivoted all of itsmight toward immigration, and that has caused frustrationwithin the department," Alvarez said. "But it'salways been clear to theofficials who have been therethat whoever was leading thedepartment had a tall task,because it is the departmentcharged with thisresponsibility. And for thatreason, the way the secretarywas handling the department,especially with Minneapolis inthe wake of the shootings of twoU.S. citizens who were fatallyshot by federal agents, they werejust shocked by the way that thesecretary handled those initialmoments."
Noem had been questioned for her responses to the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both Americans killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
"Remember, she calledthem a domestic terrorist," Alvarez said. "Shewas asked to apologize this weekby lawmakers. She maintained herstance and instead extended hercondolences. But it was all ofthese missteps as theseofficials saw it, that theybelieved was going to ultimatelylead to her ouster."