After almost a year of scandals, crises and abuses, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s public standing has predictably deteriorated. The latest Quinnipiac University poll, for example, found that 52% of Americans disapprove of the South Dakota Republican’s job performance, while only 36% approve. Both numbers are slightly worse than when Quinnipiac asked the same question last summer.
The DHS secretary is finding plenty of detractors on Capitol Hill, too.
Last week, Democratic Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois announced plans to file articles of impeachment against Noem. This week, she followed through — along with quite a few of her colleagues. HuffPost reported:
With the support of nearly 70 colleagues, Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) on Wednesday introduced three articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The first accuses Noem of obstruction of Congress, for denying lawmakers access to Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities to provide oversight. The second accuses her of violating public trust, for directing DHS agents to arrest people without warrants and for ignoring due process. The third accuses her of self-dealing, for secretly steering a federal contract to a firm run by her friend.
“Secretary Noem has called my impeachment effort ‘silly,’” Kelly told reporters. “I want to tell her right now, ‘Secretary Noem, you have violated your oath of office, and there will be consequences. I am watching you. Members of Congress are watching you. The American people, most importantly, are watching you.’”
Those who don’t follow Capitol Hill at a granular level may not realize this, but every year, members introduce impeachment resolutions that target assorted figures, most of which generate very little attention or support. That includes last year: A still-pending effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, for example, was introduced in early December, and it’s garnered zero co-sponsors. A related push to impeach Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has picked up just one co-sponsor.
The articles of impeachment against Noem, however, are quantitatively different: Kelly’s resolution was introduced with the support of 69 House Democrats, which represents roughly a third of the party’s conference in the chamber, and there’s no reason to assume that total won’t grow.
For most of American history, only one Cabinet secretary was ever impeached: In 1876, the House impeached Secretary of War William Belknap — after he left office — over alleged bribes. (He was later acquitted by senators.) Almost two years ago, Belknap got a little company: Republicans impeached then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, despite having uncovered no evidence that the DHS secretary had done anything to merit impeachment. Will Noem join the tiny club? Probably not anytime soon: The House Republican majority in the lower chamber is tiny and shrinking, but it exists, and GOP leaders will almost certainly ignore the Democratic effort to hold her accountable. But there’s certainly symbolic value in the Democratic effort, which is being used to draw attention to the failures and outrages at the Department of Homeland Security. Watch this space. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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