Insiders backing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem say a mounting campaign to have her ousted from her job has been pushed largely by supporters of Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan.
“It’s disappointing that he chooses to go after Secretary Noem when he is unhappy that he does not have ‘The Tom Homan Show’ to be a part of,” one person with knowledge of the issue told Axios, referring to the pair’s tussle for airtime as the faces of the president’s mass deportation drive.
It’s no secret that the two have been at each other’s throats for months, with Noem—nicknamed ‘ICE Barbie’ for her habit of cosplaying as a removal agent—reportedly attempting to place a “comms blackout” on Homan back in September.
Those tensions would now appear to have reached boiling point as speculation mounts that Noem, who is married, may soon face the chop over an alleged affair with her chief adviser Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager, who is also married.
“Things are f---ed,” one former DHS official has said of alleged managerial chaos at the department. “It’s horrible, they’re going to destroy this place. I’m just hoping the new secretary gets here in time.”
According to Axios, “The exact cause of the tensions between Noem and Homan isn’t clear”—but insiders say that Noem spending millions of dollars from the DHS budget on a self-promoting and “controversial campaign-style ad blitz” has angered career immigration officers loyal to Homan as a 30-year veteran of immigration enforcement.
Noem has repeatedly come under fire for her use of more than $170 billion in congressional funds earmarked for anti-immigration operations. But then Homan has also faced scrutiny for his prior conduct in office, having been accused of taking a $50,000 cash payment in an FBI sting operation. Homan denies taking a bribe.
If Homan’s people are behind a campaign to have Noem removed from office, their efforts are not gaining the kind of traction they might have hoped.
“Kristi’s doing a great job,” Trump reportedly said to an adviser, who relayed the exchange to Axios. “Her and Tom don’t get along,” he reportedly went on. “But they’re doing great.”
That adviser further clarified that, in fact, Trump actually appears to enjoy the clash between his two anti-immigration bulldogs. “Trump is like that,” they said. “He kind of likes people competing against each other. He thinks it makes the product better.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and DHS for comment on this story. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Axios the president “has assembled the most talented and capable Cabinet in American history, which includes Secretary Noem who is doing a great job implementing the president’s agenda and making America safe again.”
“The president’s entire immigration enforcement team — which includes Tom Homan and his critical contributions to the border security effort ... is working in lockstep to implement the agenda President Trump was elected to enact,” Jackson added.
