The new leader of the Department of Homeland Security is operating as nothing more than a "figurehead" who can't control infighting, according to a recent report.
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin "is more like a figurehead. I don't think he realized that going in," a senior Trump administration official told the Daily Mail in a Thursday article. The anonymous official described his predecessor, Kristi Noem, as more of "a monarch, a queen with real power."
"The White House is reportedly 'gating' Mullin's influence at every turn," a White House source told the Mail, adding that "he has a seat at the table...but it's a table."
Mullin can't even get the White House to approve his pick to replace Todd Lyons as the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the Mail. Mullin's choice was reportedly Tulsa Sheriff Vic Regalado, but the White House shot down his pick "immediately," the Mail reported.
"Markwayne certainly has a dog in the fight for head of ICE," a source told the Daily Mail. "But he is bringing a little chihuahua, while everyone else is bringing big dogs, like German shepherds or rottweilers."
According to the Daily Mail, the real shot callers inside DHS are Border Czar Tom Homan, Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
The leading candidates to take over ICE were picked by Homan, the Daily Mail reported. They included the high-ranking agent in the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) branch of ICE, Marcos Charles, and David Venturella, ERO's second-ranking official, according to the Mail.
A senior Trump administration official told the Mail that the decision for the new ICE director "is being steered not by the Secretary, but by Homan — with Mullin left to sign off on whatever name lands on his desk."