Breaking: Noem Out at DHS
But, unfortunately, not exactly gone, either.
Via the NYT: Trump announces he is replacing Noem with Markwayne Mullin.
President Trump fired his embattled homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, on Thursday and announced plans to replace her with Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, after she was grilled by Republican lawmakers this week at congressional hearings on a variety of topics, including her knowledge of a lucrative advertising contract.
Mr. Trump announced the change on social media, along with a new, and previously nonexistent, role for Ms. Noem: special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, which he said would be a new security initiative for the Western Hemisphere.
So, on the one hand, what a shame. (/s)
On the other hand, Markwayne Mullin? Good grief.
(Poor Mullin, he had the chance to be the dumbest Senator with Tuberville likely the next Governor of Alabama, but now he won’t get the chance.)
On the third hand, WTF is a “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas”?
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, the US Senator who thought that the Ayatollah Khamenei was the same person as the Ayatollah Khomeini. That guy?
Sigh.
Waste, fraud, and abuse.
I think “Shield of the Americas” is Trump’s implementation of the Monroe Doctrine. He’ll be announcing the details from his Doral golf club. Of course.
Replacing dumb with dumber.
Markwayne can’t get the smell of war out of his nostrils. He remembers seeing “Apocalypse Now” on cable like it was yesterday. It’s doubtful he can find Iran on an unmarked map, or Delaware for that matter. And likely, to Markwayne, Iranians, Iraqis are all A-rabs.
His penchant for garbled speech and muddled thinking will not serve the position, or our nation well, but helps instituting the uniformity of The Oval Office.
@Rob1: That’s the deal with the Trump administration – the replacement is almost always worse (and always dumber) than the original. Mullin is the guy who body slammed a reporter for asking him a question he didn’t like during his senatorial campaign a couple of years ago.
Anyone know off the top of their head when his term is up? I couldn’t find it.
@Jen: In fairness, Mullin was just shy of his 12th birthday when Khomeini died. Considering the similarity of the names and how old Khamenei was, it’s not really shocking to think they were the same guy.
Reported gnome was giving a speech as director when the noose broke.
@James Joyner: You cut Markwayne too much slack. He’s has the “form factor” of a fully grown adult for crying out loud! Education is there for all who would avail themselves. We can’t keep lowering our expectations of adulthood, man!
For example, most of us know that Markwayne is not Mark or Wayne, and he’s not “the same guy” as either of them. We made a minimal effort to know who he was. At age 12 I knew that Karl Marx was not Groucho Marx, and Vladimir Lenin was not John Lennon. Being knowledgeable about our world takes so little effort, and even less so today. In fact, a world of knowledge fits in the palm of our hand. Markwayne recently on FOX kept confusing Iraq with Iran. Just like our President. We really need better minds on the job. And better ethics. And better morals.
@Beth:
Markwayne’s senatorial term concludes in Jan. 2027.
@James Joyner:
@Rob1:
At the time of the revolution in Iran, I wasn’t clear on who was the Shah and who was the Ayatollah (also who was the President and who was the Governor of California, but that was a different place). I was a year or two younger than Mullin.
I know the difference now.
@Jen:
I thought you were still commenting on Markwayne Mullin.
@Charley in Cleveland:
I tried to delete a double-post and also deleted the original.
That was Gianforte. Mullin was asked to comment quite a bit, because he was an MMA fighter.
He did challenge a Teamster official to a fight during a Senate hearing.
@Rob1:
I can’t help but think of the “tell ‘em Steve-Dave” scene from Mallrats when I see his name.
What happens to the luxury 737 Klaus Barbie bought? Does it go with her to her new post, whatever the f*ck that is, or does the new head of the Brownshirt department get to use it?
Only the best people, remember, only the best people. Sigh