From The Hill: Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen is calling for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying that she believes Noem is attempting to “mislead the American public” about the fatal shooting of a 37 year-old protester in Minneapolis.
The call from Rosen, a moderate from Nevada who was part of the group that helped Republicans end the 43-day government shutdown last year, comes amid a growing fury from congressional Democrats who have also vowed to block funding for the Homeland Security Department. A House resolution to launch impeachment proceedings against Noem has the support of more than 100 Democrats, but few Senate Democrats have so far weighed in.
“Kristi Noem has been an abject failure leading the Department of Homeland Security for the last year — and the abuses of power we’re seeing from ICE are the latest proof that she has lost control over her own department and staff,” Rosen said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Rosen said Noem’s conduct is “deeply shameful” and she “must be impeached and removed from office immediately.”
Impeachment proceedings seem unlikely in the GOP-controlled Congress, but rising Democratic outrage over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis is threatening Senate Republican leaders’ efforts to quickly pass a broad spending bill and avert a partial government shutdown by the Jan. 30 funding deadline. The killings in Minneapolis — including Pretti’s death on Jan. 24 and another fatal shooting earlier in the month — have united Democrats, including some moderates who had previously been cautious about criticizing the Trump administration’s border and immigration policies, in opposition to funding the Department of Homeland Security and its immigration enforcement programs, imperiling the larger appropriations package.
Noem defended the fatal shooting of Pretti in Minneapolis, but Rosen and other Democrats say video evidence contradicts the administration’s claim that Pretti “approached” agents with a gun, showing him initially holding only a phone before agents later found a 9 mm handgun during a scuffle. Rosen also accused Noem of violating public trust by wasting taxpayer money on self-promotion, including costly luxury jet purchases for the Coast Guard, and cited broader concerns about DHS conduct. The push for impeachment has gained traction among House Democrats, though proceedings face long odds in the GOP-controlled Congress as outrage over immigration enforcement continues to disrupt funding negotiations.
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