Controversy clings to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem like a storm cloud that refuses to lift, and this week it grew darker and darker. With reports that President Donald Trump is privately questioning her judgment and lawmakers openly challenging her honesty, Noem finds herself at a difficu lt crossroad. She arrived at Thursday’s House Homeland Security Committee hearing already weakened and things quickly devolved into a spectacle of protests, fact-checks, and a sharp ultimatum from Democrats who warned Noem her career may now be hanging by a thread. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security in the Cannon House Office Building on December 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. The committee convened to hear testimony from top national security officials on potential worldwide threats. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Noem faced fierce questioning almost immediately. Rhode Island Rep. Seth Magaziner confronted her over whether she had deported U.S. military veterans during the violent ICE raids she has overseen since early this year. “How many veterans have you deported?” he asked. ‘So We’re Just Stealing Now?!’: Trump’s Dim-Witted Answer Sets Off Outrage — and Viewers Say He Accidentally Revealed the Real Plan Behind His So-Called Mission Noem insisted, “Sir, we have not deported U.S. citizens or military veterans,” a claim she repeated until Magaziner produced a Zoom call with decorated Army combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient Sae Joon Park. Either Kristi Noem is perjuring herself or she has no idea what’s happening in her own department. Not sure what’s worse. https://t.co/3usSrfmIkE— Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) December 11, 2025 “He has sacrificed more for this country than most people ever have. Earlier this year, you deported him to Korea, a country he hasn’t lived in since he was 7 years old,” Magaziner informed Noem, asking her to thank Sae for his service. Noem responded by thanking all vets for their service “and those that follow our laws,” seemingly implying that Sae had broken U.S. laws when he had a few minor drug offenses in the 1990s, but no other history of criminal violence. Illinois Rep. Delia Ramírez then delivered the most devastating blow of the hearing, outright calling Noem a liar and citing a ProPublica investigation showing that more than 170 American citizens have been violently arrested by ICE and thrown into detention centers. View on Threads Another 75,000 people with no criminal history have been swept up in raids since the spring. “You lied on the record and you lied to members of this committee,” Ramírez declared before delivering what quickly became the hearing’s defining ultimatum, “Your options are limited: either you’re going to resign, Trump’s going to fire you, or you will be impeached.” Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar pressed Noem further about lying regarding arrests of U.S. citizens. “I’m sick of your lies, and the American people demand the truth,” he said. View on Threads Chaos then erupted around her — literally. Protesters twice interrupted Noem’s opening remarks, one shouting lines from The Exorcist, another demanding ICE be removed from American streets. But the moment that transformed the hearing into a crisis came minutes later. Noem abruptly announced she had to leave to chair a FEMA Council meeting. Moments later, Democratic lawmakers learned that the meeting had been canceled. Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz exposed it publicly: “Noem said she had to go chair the FEMA review council meeting. BUT I’m told that meeting was canceled.” Noem said she had to go chair the FEMA review council meeting. BUT I’m told that meeting was canceled https://t.co/fz5qHOm44P— Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) December 11, 2025 Video showed Noem lingering in the committee anteroom rather than hurrying to her next obligation. A DHS spokesperson later claimed Noem only learned of the cancellation after she left the witness table, but Democrats weren’t buying it. Rep. Bennie Thompson moved to subpoena her to reappear before the committee, accusing Noem of misleading Congress. Republicans blocked the subpoena, sparing Noem — for now — but the attempt itself underscored how serious the allegation had become. Fox News’ Jessica Tarlov summarized what many felt, “Either Kristi Noem is perjuring herself or she has no idea what’s happening in her own department. Not sure what’s worse.” And outside the hearing room, the public reacted swiftly. “I love this. Bring them down one at a time if necessary,” one Threads user wrote. Another fumed, “I call for her imprisonment for perjury, constitutional violations… I could stack more in there.” Others pointed to her dog-killing anecdote, “Kristi Noem shot her dog because she thought it was incompetent. Now the shoe is on the other foot.” View on Threads The reaction that captured the growing perception that Noem is cooked politically, “Her next meeting was already canceled. She knows she’s going to prison.” Another summed up her political freefall bluntly, “She has destroyed whatever career she had… Either she resigns or Trump fires her soon.” But even as Noem was trying to recover from the congressional debacle, a second crisis hit from inside the West Wing. According to new reporting from The Daily Beast, Trump has begun asking aides how much DHS has spent on a massive $220 million immigration ad campaign starring Noem — a campaign many inside DHS say functions more as self-promotion than public messaging. While Trump has publicly insisted he “loves Kristi,” aides tell reporters he has begun questioning both the optics and the price tag. One West Wing insider put it crudely, “She’s pretty and that’s what he cares about.” Another said Noem would be “better” if she “got rid of Corey,” referring to Corey Lewandowski, her closest adviser and rumored romantic partner, whose presence has fueled internal resentment and factional fighting. The Strategy Group, the firm behind a new Kristi Noem TV ad, does not appear on public documents about the $220M DHS contracts.Instead, the main recipient listed is a mysterious Delaware company created days before the deal was finalized.https://t.co/aZ4YV2XR4w— ProPublica (@propublica) November 19, 2025 The DHS campaign has also triggered conflict-of-interest scrutiny after ProPublica revealed the multi-million-dollar contract benefited a GOP consulting firm run by the husband of DHS communications chief Tricia McLaughlin — one of Noem’s closest allies. Both deny impropriety. And Noem’s messaging stumbles continue to mount. A DHS “worst of the worst” immigration offenders website, heavily promoted in her ads, reportedly included dozens of cases where the only conviction was a traffic offense, reinforcing criticism that the campaign is built on exaggeration. By the end of Thursday, Noem was facing a trifecta of crises: accusations of lying to Congress, a threatened subpoena, and signs of Trump’s growing impatience. Her critics believe the trajectory is clear — and irreversible. ‘She Knows She’s Going to Prison’: A Shocking Ultimatum Leaves Kristi Noem Reeling and New Trump Rumors Suddenly Make Everything Worse ...read more read less