A tense exchange on Capitol Hill quickly turned into a turning point for former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
According to Sen. John Kennedy, the fallout began during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week when he questioned Noem about a costly government advertising campaign, per the New York Post.
Kennedy said he realized her position in the administration might be in jeopardy soon after the hearing ended.
The Louisiana Republican said he received a phone call from President Donald Trump just hours after the hearing, during which the president expressed frustration about the issue.
“He was mad as a mamma wasp,” Kennedy said while describing Trump’s reaction during an appearance on “The Will Cain Show,” hosted by Will Cain.
The hearing centered on a $220 million advertising campaign aimed at discouraging illegal immigration. Noem had approved the taxpayer-funded effort while serving as secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
During her testimony, Noem said the president directed her to spread the message through the campaign.
She told lawmakers that Trump “tasked” her with “getting the message out to the country and to other countries” through the ads, which warned that illegal immigrants “needed to leave.”
Kennedy said the claim caught his attention.
The senator later explained that he was “stunned” when Noem testified that the president “approved every single bit” of the ad campaign.
After watching the hearing, Trump called Kennedy to dispute that claim.
“He said, ‘Kennedy, I hope you understand that I had nothing to do with this.’ I said, ‘I do believe you, Mr. President,’” Kennedy recalled.
The conversation left Kennedy with the impression that Noem’s tenure leading the department was likely nearing its end.
“He was not happy,” Kennedy said of the president. “It was clear to me after that conversation that the secretary’s time at the department was limited.”
“To be blunt, she was dead as fried chicken.”
Two days later, Trump confirmed that Noem would no longer lead the department.
In a post on Truth Social, the president said she would be replaced by Markwayne Mullin.
Trump added that Noem would move into a new role as a special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas” coalition.
In a separate interview with Reuters before announcing the change, Trump reiterated that he had no involvement in the controversial ad campaign.
“I never knew anything about the ads,” the president said.
