"Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appeared before a bank of television cameras in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night to blame the man who had been shot to death by federal agents in Minneapolis that morning for his own death, claiming without evidence that he had intended "to kill law enforcement" and had been "brandishing" a weapon. Behind her stood the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Rodney Scott, sending a silent message of unity."
"But behind the scenes, the senior ranks of the Department of Homeland Security were divided. Until minutes before they walked in front of the cameras, Noem and Scott had not spoken to each other that day, even as Noem took charge of her department's response to the shooting and coordinated with the White House and other officials in Scott's agency, two people familiar with their interactions told us."
"Donald Trump has said over the years that he welcomes and even encourages rivalries in his administration, and delights in watching aides compete to please him. But for the past year, the president has allowed a rift to widen within the team tasked with delivering on the mass-deportation plan that is his most important domestic-policy initiative. That has led to months of acrimony and left many veteran officials at DHS-including those who support the president's deportation goals-astonished at the dysfunction."
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly blamed a man killed by federal agents, asserting without evidence that he intended "to kill law enforcement" and was "brandishing" a weapon. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott stood beside her as a show of unity. Senior DHS leaders were divided behind the scenes; Noem and Scott had not spoken until minutes before their joint appearance despite coordination on the response. President Trump’s tolerance for rivalries allowed a widening rift within the team responsible for the mass-deportation plan, producing months of acrimony and an improvisational enforcement approach. Stephen Miller has pressured agencies with daily calls, and Noem and Corey Lewandowski have pushed to meet those demands, including using the department’s advertising budgets.
#department-of-homeland-security #kristi-noem #internal-conflict #immigration-deportation-policy #stephen-miller
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