Let’s talk about Governor Kristi Noem’s confirmation hearing to run the Department of Homeland Security. It was your classic DC showdown, complete with partisan theatrics and a hefty dose of selective memory from the Democrats. Leading the charge was none other than Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CN), who—like many of his colleagues—decided to ignore the current state of the country and instead dig up grievances from the first Trump administration. Because, you know, accountability for the present isn’t exactly their strong suit.
Now, confirmation hearings are supposed to give the American people a chance to evaluate whether a nominee is actually qualified for the job. But the Democrats apparently threw that concept in the trash back in 2021 when they rubber-stamped every warm body Joe Biden put forward. Pete Buttigieg for transportation? That’s like hiring a guy who’s never driven a car to fix your transmission. But I digress.
Back to the hearing—Blumenthal tried to corner Noem with questions about the Trump administration’s family separation policy for illegal alien children. Predictable, right? What he didn’t expect was that the South Dakota governor came loaded with receipts. Let’s just say it was not a great day to be “stolen valor” Blumenthal.
Here’s how part of that exchange went down:
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: “Will you help me reunite children with their parents who were separated by Trump’s family separation policy?”
KRISTI NOEM: “What I’m alarmed by is the over 300,000 children that went missing during the Biden administration.”
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELOuch. That’s one way to drop the mic in a Senate hearing.
But Blumenthal wasn’t ready to let it go. He pressed on:
BLUMENTHAL: “Let’s put aside the labels and what happened in the past. There are still 1,000 children who were separated and waiting to be reunited. I’d like your commitment to continuing the effort to reunite them with their parents.”
NOEM: “Well, I can’t put aside 300,000 children. Keeping families together is critically important to me and to this country. I’m concerned about Laken Riley’s family and that they no longer have her… We will uphold our laws and make sure we are doing everything we can to keep children safe from the trafficking and drug epidemics.”
Translation: Noem wasn’t about to let Blumenthal sweep the Biden administration’s failures under the rug while pretending to hold her to a higher standard. She called out the hypocrisy for what it was, and it was beautiful.
WATCH:
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: "Will you help me reunite children with their parents who were separated by Trump's family separation policy?"
KRISTI NOEM: "What I'm alarmed by is the over 300,000 children that went missing during the Biden administration."
BLUMENTHAL: "Let's put aside the… pic.twitter.com/j13huXJTjE
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) January 17, 2025
A while back, Blumenthal got caught exaggerating his military service (he lied). He kept mixing up his time in the Marine Reserves in D.C. with those who really served overseas in Vietnam. Before long, the whole “Vietnam veteran” thing just became part of his story. And he used the lie to get elected. Easy mistake, right? #eyeroll
The hearing wasn’t just a grilling of Noem; it was a reflection of everything broken in our political process. Democrats wanted to score points by dredging up past policies while ignoring the glaring issues of the present administration. Meanwhile, Noem showed that she’s not just prepared to do the job but also ready to expose the selective outrage of her critics. Kristi Noem gave a masterclass in calling out hypocrisy.
Bottom line? If this hearing was supposed to rattle Noem, it failed spectacularly. Instead, it highlighted her sharpness, her readiness, and her unwillingness to play along with the D.C. blame game. The Democrats may have wanted to embarrass her, but in the end, it’s Blumenthal who walked away looking unprepared.
#KristiNoem #PoliticalHypocrisy #SenateHearing
