President Donald Trump's pick to replace the fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is a longtime congressional ally of the president who is likely to be confirmed without much controversy due to his strong working relationships with so many in the Senate.
But that doesn't mean Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) is likely to succeed in the job, NPR's Michele Norris told MS NOW's Nicolle Wallace on "Deadline: White House" — because while he may not be as steeped in personal scandal as his predecessor, he doesn't fix the underlying problem DHS has right now: credibility.
"Whoever is replacing Kristi Noem, if it is Markwayne Mullin, if he winds up being approved by the Senate, they are inheriting a royal mess," said Norris. "I mean, this is a department that is struggling with morale problems. We know that from some of the things that have been leaked from people inside both ICE and [Customs and Border Protection], infrastructure problems, financial problems. The inspector general just released letters to Congress earlier this week saying, you know, outlining the problems inside the department."
"The homeland does need to be defended. It is important that DHS does play an important role," Norris continued. "But what happened to this agency in such a short period of time? There's a real problem with credibility, and it's going to be difficult for, I think, for Markwayne Mullin to be the person who brings back that credibility, especially when we were just listening to him having a hard time describing why we're in Iran. He is so loyal to Donald Trump."
"That's right, that's right," laughed anchor Nicolle Wallace.
"You know, things happen so fast," said Norris. "We forget that that just happened yesterday. What they really need is someone who will be able to come back and restore some credibility to the organization, to be able to remember what the Department of Homeland Security actually is supposed to be doing, and start rebuilding that department from the ground up."