Congressional Democrats allege false statements during oversight hearings related to a Homeland Security advertising contract.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Democratic leaders on the Senate and House Judiciary Committees have submitted a criminal referral to the Department of Justice concerning former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, alleging she made false statements during congressional oversight hearings.
In a public announcement shared online, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats said they had formally referred Noem to the Justice Department over what they described as “repeated false statements” made during testimony before Congress. The announcement appeared in a statement shared in a post by Senate Judiciary Democrats.
The referral centers on statements Noem made regarding a large Department of Homeland Security advertising contract that was approved while she was serving as secretary.
President Donald Trump removed Noem from the position earlier this month and announced that Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin would assume the role of Secretary of Homeland Security beginning March 31.
According to a report by NBC News, Trump had expressed dissatisfaction with Noem’s performance during congressional hearings, particularly over her testimony about the advertising campaign.
The contract at issue involved a roughly $200 million public communications effort connected to DHS messaging.
During the hearings, Noem told lawmakers that the contract was awarded through a competitive bidding process managed by career officials within the department.
However, critics have questioned that explanation. In a widely circulated social media post discussing the bidding process, journalist Luke Rosiak wrote that only three companies were invited to submit bids for the contract.
According to the post, one of the companies approved for participation had connections to a DHS aide’s spouse, another had ties to longtime political operative Corey Lewandowski and a third was linked to political influencer Erica Knight.
During interviews about the issue, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy said that statements made during the hearings appeared to conflict with the president’s understanding of the situation.
“I heard the Secretary say that she went to the President and said, I propose to spend a quarter billion dollars on TV advertisements in which I am the star, and the President thought that was a swell idea, that’s what I heard the Secretary say,” Kennedy said in comments to Fox News reporter Bill Melugin. “Her version of the truth and the President’s version of the truth are decidedly different.”
Additional reporting described internal tensions within DHS leadership in the days leading up to Noem’s removal. A post from CBS News reported that Corey Lewandowski, a senior adviser to Noem and former Trump campaign manager, was also departing the department.
CBS News said the developments followed disagreements over Noem’s testimony concerning the advertising campaign.
The Justice Department has not publicly indicated whether it will pursue the criminal referral.
Political observers note that such referrals from congressional committees do not automatically result in prosecutions and are typically evaluated independently by federal prosecutors.
The dispute over Noem’s testimony comes as the Trump administration continues reshaping leadership at the Department of Homeland Security while navigating broader political battles over immigration enforcement and federal agency oversight.
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