The Wall Street Journal's Michelle Hackman, Josh Dawsey and Tarini Parti published bombshell reporting on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and what it dubbed "constant chaos" within her department.
Here are the excerpts getting the most attention, plus DHS's responses:
🔷 A pilot was reportedly fired for forgetting to move Noem's blanket: "Noem had to switch planes after a maintenance issue was discovered, but her blanket wasn't moved to the second plane, according to the people familiar with the incident. The Coast Guard pilot was initially fired and told to take a commercial flight home when they reached their destination. They eventually reinstated the pilot because no one else was available to fly them home."
^ A DHS spokesperson didn't respond to this specific incident but said Noem has "made personnel decisions to deliver excellence."
🔷 Noem was reportedly irked by border czar Tom Homan: "Noem routinely berated staff if she saw Homan on TV and kept track of both their appearances to make sure she was on TV more than him, according to people familiar with the matter. On at least one occasion, she asked aides to ensure she drew a bigger crowd at a conference than Homan, who was speaking on a different day, one of the people said."
^ The DHS spokesperson denied this.
🔷 Trump 'uncomfortable' with Noem's close relationship with her adviser and ally Corey Lewandowski:
"Noem and Lewandowski's close relationship had already made Trump and his top advisers uncomfortable. Lewandowski had initially wanted to formally serve as Noem's chief of staff, but Trump rejected the idea due to reports of a romantic relationship between the two—which he has continued to bring up, officials say."
^ The spokesperson said DHS "doesn't waste time with salacious, baseless gossip."
Read the full report: 'A Pilot Fired Over Kristi Noem's Missing Blanket and the Constant Chaos Inside DHS'
A number of Democrats have weighed in, including David Axelrod: "This piece was like Murder on the Orient Express. There are so many sources all over the government sharing shocking detail-including the WH, DOJ and @Sec_Noem's own agency-that she'd have to spend the rest of her tenure, and maybe her life, figuring out all of their names!"
Some interesting analysis from Politico's Jonathan Martin: "The suggestion that there are fewer leaks in Trump 2.0 isn't quite right. There are just fewer leaks about Trump himself. Because you will not find a more admin-wide effort than this. Message: please, Mr. Trump, dump Corey and Kristi."
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