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Now to our other major story of the day, the first cabinet shake up of President Trump's
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This afternoon, the President fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Nome.
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Despite the decision, Nome went ahead with a previously scheduled speech in Nashville,
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making no mention of her dismissal.
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She had faced bipartisan criticism in recent months over the agency's handling of the
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immigration crackdown, delays in emergency response, and a $220 million ad campaign in which
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she was prominently featured.
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President Trump says he has created a new role for her, called Special Envoy for the
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Shield of the Americas.
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He also announced his choice to replace Nome, that's Senator Mark Wayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
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Lisa Desjardins is here with more, so Lisa, what was the breaking point?
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As you say, Nome had been under increased scrutiny because of the ice crackdown in American
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cities and the documented deaths of Americans and violent detentions that were on video
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Well, it does seem, however, that really the breaking point was testimony this week
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and that $220 million ad campaign that you mentioned, which prominently featured her.
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Some of our viewers have seen that footage before, and that ouster really came, especially
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during a key moment that I saw in our viewer's saw when we reported on this, when Senator
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John Kennedy of Louisiana questioned her about this.
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The president approved ahead of time, you're spending $220 million running TV ads across
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the country in which you are featured prominently.
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We went through the legal processes.
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Did the president work with OMB?
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Senator Kennedy told me he spoke with President Trump that night and that Trump not only denied
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what Christy Nome had said, but he was sharply angry about it.
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So how did Senator Mullen get to become the nominee, as I understand it, the president
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likes watching him on television?
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Mullen is well liked by the president, and he has friends in the cabinet, Secretary's
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Rubio and Hegseth, for example, as well.
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He's known as Loyal.
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He's good on television.
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It's seeming to the president seems to think that.
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But what's interesting here, Jeff, is that Senator Mullen told us today that he found out
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about this nomination barely a moment before we did, before the president announced in
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He said, quote to us, that it was a little bit of a surprise for us.
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He said he hadn't even had the chance to call Secretary Nome or his wife yet.
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He was already talking to the press, hadn't called either of them.
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He did praise Nome, but he said he's going to look for ways to improve.
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Is there always lessons he can be learned?
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You know, listen, my wife and I, we have over the years, we have been fortunate to purchase
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companies and rural companies, and every day there's something you can do better.
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And so I think there's an opportunity to build off successes, and there's also opportunities
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to build off things that maybe they can go quite as planned.
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If confirmed, Mullen would have had one of the largest agencies in terms of personnel.
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Of course, it is also in a shutdown.
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There's also political stakes here.
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As you know, Republicans have been on a rock slide on what used to be one of their best
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issues, immigration.
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So tell us more about him and what his leadership, if confirmed, would mean for DHS.
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It's an interesting man.
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Let's take a look at his biography, first of all.
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It is a lifelong Oklahoma.
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He's a businessman, I don't know if family plumbing business, as well as real estate and
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He was elected to the House in 2012 and the Senate 10 years later.
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He's served on several committees, the most prominent ones are Senate Armed Services
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Mullen is also a member of the Cherokee Nation.
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He has a big personality.
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He walks the halls, bouncing a rubber ball, almost like Steven Queen's style.
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He also is, people are wondering what he would mean as a secretary.
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We don't know what his Homeland Security experience is exactly.
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He indicated that it's Trump's policy that he would enforce that.
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But he won a raise just last month.
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He was on a conservative radio talk show and he said he's open to some kind of legal status
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for DACA recipients or folks who are undocumented and came here more than 10 years ago.
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We used the caveat earlier, if confirmed.
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I guess I'll ask the question, is he someone who can get confirmed?
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The assumption right now is yes.
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Senators always have a leg up when they go up for confirmation, even more when you're a Republican.
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You need just 50 votes right now for confirmation as a cabinet secretary.
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There are 53 Republicans, Democrat John Federman, a Pennsylvania, already says he is a yes.
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Now, other Democrats say they're hoping that perhaps this could help them in DHS negotiations
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about the shutdown, but they don't think that he will change policy.
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This is Trump's policy.
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When Acey has in his pocket, Jeff, he can vote for himself.
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Senators have that ability on the Senate floor.
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It's unusual, but it is allowed.
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These are the answer.
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Thanks, too, as always.
