Republican Senator John Kennedy questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The hearing focused on a massive advertising campaign worth $220 million in which Noem played a prominent role. Kennedy criticized the secretary, questioning whether such enormous spending aligns with the Trump administration's calls to reduce government waste. During the session, Kennedy asked Noem if President Trump personally approved these expenses last year, expressing doubts about the truthfulness of this claim. The Louisiana senator, addressing Noem, said: 'How can you reconcile this concern about extravagance, which I share with you, with the fact that you spent $220 million on TV ads where you are featured prominently?' In her defense, Noem stated that the campaign is part of the president's immigration agenda. She said: 'The president tasked me with getting his message out domestically and in the countries where we see an illegal influx of migrants.' She added: 'By running these ads, we are sending a clear message: if you are in this country illegally, you need to leave, or we will detain you and remove you, and you will not have a chance to return to the United States legally.' However, Kennedy pressed Noem repeatedly to find out if Trump had pre-approved the campaign, to which the secretary confirmed: 'Yes, we had that conversation before I was officially sworn in.' After repeated discussion of the topic, Noem noted that the ads were 'very effective.' Kennedy sarcastically replied: 'Well, they were effective in making you known.' Noem denied any role in selecting the contracted companies. US President Donald Trump announced yesterday the dismissal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and media reports confirmed that Trump made this decision following the hearing where Noem testified. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said she will be replaced by Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin as a special envoy to Latin America on March 31. According to details first published by the Associated Press, the latest ad contract was awarded to two companies linked to long-standing Republican operatives. One of the companies (Safe America Media) was incorporated in Delaware a week before it won the contract. The other company (Pipl is Think), based in Louisiana, received $77 million. One of the companies, 'The Strategy Group,' had participated in Noem's 2022 gubernatorial campaign. Noem defended the campaign, stating that the contract was awarded without any political interference, confirming that 'the contract was done properly and legally.' A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security stated that professional government employees oversee the contracting process with private companies. 'I'm not saying you're not telling the truth, but it's hard for me to believe that,' Kennedy added. 'You told the president, here are some ads I've edited, and I'm going to spend $220 million to run them, and he approved that. I don't think the Office of Management and Budget, under Russ Vought, would have approved that.'
