"Frustrated" White House officials are already pushing for the removal of Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar from the Department of Homeland Security after his return to the agency in April, according to a new report.
"He has quickly exasperated administration officials who say he inserts himself in issues beyond his purview," Politico reported Friday, "while not aligning with Mullin’s efforts to move away from a micromanaging leadership style, said three current and three former agency officials."
Edgar, who was put on administrative leave during the final months of Kristi Noem's disastrous tenure, was reinstated months ago under DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin's watch, Politico reported.
One department official bluntly said of Edgar, "He wasn't the right pick to begin with."
The primary complaint centers on Edgar's management style.
Multiple officials characterize him as a "compulsive micromanager" who routinely inserts himself into matters outside his direct authority. Critics point to instances where Edgar has second-guessed operational decisions by agency heads—including instructing the TSA on staffing deployments while "Mullin has repeatedly emphasized the importance of trusting his agency heads to run their departments."
On substantive matters, officials say Edgar demonstrates a concerning lack of expertise, with the report noting two DHS officials pointing out that "Mullin’s team has voiced concern that Edgar is not well informed on certain DHS matters."
The complaints highlight a fundamental philosophical clash.
Mullin has explicitly moved to decentralize authority, reversing Noem's practice of requiring personal approval for any contract exceeding $100,000. Yet Edgar continues operating with a centralized, command-and-control approach that directly contradicts the secretary's stated objectives.
Publicly, Mullin has defended his deputy, releasing a statement to Politico: "Troy Edgar is a key part of my DHS team. I have the utmost trust and respect in Troy. These unfounded stories and attempts to divide and distract our mission will fail."
