This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: On Tuesday, Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma was sworn in as secretary of homeland security to replace Kristi Noem, who was ousted earlier this month. Attorney General Pam Bondi administered the oath in the Oval Office. Afterwards, President Trump praised Mullin as a great American patriot and former MMA fighter. He also recognized Mullin as the first member of the Cherokee Nation to join a presidential cabinet. Afterwards, a reporter asked Trump how Mullin’s leadership would differ from Noem’s.
DIANA NEROZZI: Do you believe the secretary will run DHS any differently than Kristi Noem did? What do you hope to see as his priorities?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, we had a good run. Look, we created the strongest border, with the help of that man right there. Tom is so incredible, and he’s going to be a big influence here, too. There’s nobody more professional, nobody better. There’s nobody better as a human being. You know, he looks tough, but he’s got a good heart — but not too good. Don’t make it too good. But, you know, we had Tom. We have the safest border we’ve ever had. We have a lot of assets, but a lot of things we can — we can do, and we’re going to do. We have to get criminals out of our country.
AMY GOODMAN: Noem had faced intensifying calls to resign or be impeached over her disastrous handling of Trump’s immigration raids nationwide and the unchecked, violent use of force by her federal agents, leading to the fatal shootings of at least four people, including U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, whom Noem then falsely labeled as “domestic terrorists.” Mullin responded to the shooting of Alex Pretti by describing Pretti as a “deranged individual,” unquote. Mullin also defended the ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Good.
As DHS secretary, Kristi Noem was also widely accused of corruption. She oversaw a multimillion-dollar self-promotional DHS advertising campaign that cost $220 million. At his Senate confirmation hearing, Mullin said his goal would be to keep the department out of the headlines.
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN: My goal in six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day. My goal is for people to understand we’re out there, we’re protecting them, and we’re working with them.
AMY GOODMAN: Mullin was confirmed 54 to 45 in the Senate. Republican Senator Rand Paul broke from his party to vote against Mullin’s confirmation. The two clashed over comments Mullin made following a violent attack on Senator Paul by his neighbor, in which Paul suffered seven broken ribs and required surgery. Senator Paul questioned whether Mullin had the temperament to lead an agency with a use-of-force problem.
SEN. RAND PAUL: I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault that caused me so much pain and my family so much pain. I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force. … And you offer no apology today and no regrets.
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN: I don’t —
SEN. RAND PAUL: Haven’t heard the word “apologize.” Haven’t heard the word “regret.” Haven’t heard “I misspoke, and it was heated, and I made a mistake.”
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN: Actually, it —
SEN. RAND PAUL: Haven’t heard any of those words.
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN: Sir, actually, it wasn’t heated. And I’m not apologizing for pointing out your character.
SEN. RAND PAUL: Good, good. So, you’re jolly well fine, and you want the American public and the people up here to vote — that may or may not vote for you, to know that you supported the felonious, violent attack on me from behind.
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN: I did not say I supported it. I said I understood it.
AMY GOODMAN: That was senator, now DHS secretary, Mullin explaining he understood why Paul was attacked. And I think at least six of his ribs were fractured.
Two Democrats joined Republicans in backing Mullin: Senators John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. Mullin’s confirmation comes as lawmakers warn a DHS partial shutdown could drag into April.
For more, we’re joined by Congressmember Delia Ramirez of Illinois, joining us from Capitol Hill.
Congressmember, thanks so much for being with us. If you can talk about — more about Mullin’s record and what it means that he is heading the Department of Homeland Security?
REP. DELIA RAMIREZ: Well, look, I would start by telling you, Amy, that the confirmation that he just went through, confirmed by Pam Bondi, who was willing — unwilling to go on oath to testify about her own department, tells you everything you need to know.
Markwayne Mullin is a Trump loyalist, is anti-immigrant, incompetent, has never served in the Homeland Security Committee, like some of us have, over the last few years, and is quick to go to aggression when he feels uncomfortable or when he feels like he needs to respond. He’s the same guy that was prepared to, in a Senate hearing, fight, physically fight, the president of the Teamsters. The president of this country bragged about him, when he announced him, by talking about his record as an MMA fighter. And you have someone who is now going to lead a violent agency that has killed American citizens, beat women at airports, and now he is now the new secretary, that has been sworn in by both Republicans and Democrats. A shame for our nation.
AMY GOODMAN: You mentioned airports. And one of the Chicago airports has ICE agents deployed to it as of this week. If you can talk about President Trump’s idea — he takes full credit for it — now that TSA agents haven’t been paid in more than month, that he’ll add ICE agents to, at this point, at least 14 airports, right before, if this was supposed to show us what was going to happen, at San Francisco International Airport, a woman from Guatemala and her daughter were taken down in the airport because, apparently, according to The New York Times, TSA had shared information with ICE, prior to her coming to the airport and flying with her child, about her immigration status? Can you talk about the significance of this?
REP. DELIA RAMIREZ: Yeah. But let me be clear: When the TSA interim administrator came before the Homeland Security Committee, I asked her questions directly about working with ICE and sharing data, and she proudly, under oath, said she did. She said that it is under the purview of the agency, and they are all under one department. So I’m not surprised that TSA has, in fact, shared information of passengers. What I think is even scarier is that they’re willing to bluntly brag about it, and then, when a violent attack happens, try to walk back some of what they’ve seen and what they’ve done.
I want people to think of the image of that little girl, a 6- or 7-year-old little girl, crying, scared as they’re tackling her mother at a San Francisco airport. Donald Trump wants people traveling around the country to live in fear if they don’t do as he says.
Agents at airports, it’s not going to stop there. You and I have heard the threats of this paramilitary police now possibly showing up on Election Day. We have to understand that this agency of terror needs to be dismantled. And whether it is Mullin, whether it is Noem, whether it’s Tom Homan, that agency is dangerous, and every American should say, “Enough is enough.” No funding it. No more resources. It needs to be completely teared down.
AMY GOODMAN: Congressmember Ramirez, last year on NBC’s Meet the Press, when host Kristen Welker asked Mullin what should happen to babies born on U.S. soil, currently protected under the 14th Amendment — that’s birthright citizenship — whose undocumented parents are deported, Mullin said they should go where their parents are. It’s interesting. The birthright citizenship case is being argued before the Supreme Court on April 1st. Later in the broadcast, we’re going to be playing Bruce Springsteen, who was at our 30th anniversary celebration this week, and the ACLU, who’s arguing the case, is using his song “Born in the U.S.A.” as part of a campaign to support birthright citizenship. We’re talking about Mullin here saying those children should be deported.
REP. DELIA RAMIREZ: Look, Amy, I am the lead sponsor of the Born in the USA Act, the bill that would codify birthright citizenship, codify something that already the Constitution has made very clear: If you’re born in this country, you’re a United States citizen, whether you were born here 42 years ago, like I was, or you were born here last week.
I think it’s really dangerous when you have senators who are now turning into secretaries who don’t understand the Constitution, who have never read the Constitution, and now are so quick to say, “Well, they should just all go together.” Would you have said this to your grandparents, your great-grandparents, who also came to this country, maybe through the Ellis Island, and then got birthright citizenship?
I think it is a dangerous path that we are on when the Supreme Court has to argue something that has been set so clear through the United States Constitution. And it’s why I have to make sure that we codify the birthright citizenship bill that I’m leading, Born in the USA, like Bruce Springsteen said. We are proud of who we are as Americans, and no president should try to deny someone citizenship based on the color of their skin or where their parents came from.
AMY GOODMAN: The Trump administration has spent months tightening sanctions against Cuba. It has experienced nationwide blackout after blackout. Operations are not being able to be performed. Your colleague, Congressmember Nydia Velázquez, just introduced a war powers resolution stating Congress has not declared war upon Cuba or upon any person or organization within Cuba. What leverage do you have to change this situation? People fear, as President Trump joins Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in attacking Iran, that Trump is going to push for regime change — and has proudly boasted that he’s looking for that — in Cuba.
REP. DELIA RAMIREZ: Yeah, these are two warmongers who believe that the only way to lead is through domination, through conquest. It’s what you saw that he did in Venezuela. It’s what he and Bibi Netanyahu are doing in the Middle East. No one is safe as a result of that.
Many people in Cuba itself would argue that, in some ways, they already feel like the United States has declared war on them. They are literally starving. They can’t get medicine. They’re waiting for these special operations that are coming in to try to provide some resource. But, ultimately, every person starving right now in Cuba, it is the responsibility of this president that’s declared war on them.
I joined Congresswoman Velázquez on her resolution. I’m going to be sponsoring the resolution. But I think the leverage conversation that we have to have here in Congress is asking ourselves, When is enough enough, Amy? When will Congress actually stand up and act like a coequal branch of government and say enough to a warmonger that all he wants is to stay in power to get all the profit from oil and to enrich his family? I hope that more members of Congress join Nydia Velázquez’s resolution. We all have to say, “Enough is enough.” No one is safe under Donald Trump. No one is safe when a Congress is weak, as it is today.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to end by asking you about his confirmation hearing — that’s Senator Mullin’s, now DHS secretary. Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan asked Mullin about the 2020 election.
SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN: Who won the 2020 election?
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN: Ma’am, we know that President Joe Biden was sworn into office.
SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN: That’s not —
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN: And he was the president for the last four years.
SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN: We know that’s a —
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN: But I do believe —
SEN. ELISSA SLOTKIN: Who do you believe won the election?
SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN: I believe my job as Department of Homeland Security secretary will be to make sure that we assure that the elections are — are fair and people can trust them.
AMY GOODMAN: And the reason I end with this is the question of ICE agents being deployed to the polls, something that now DHS Secretary Mullin has not condemned, has said if there are problems, they will be at the polls.
REP. DELIA RAMIREZ: There is no reason for ICE agents to be at the polls. And you heard him say they will be fair. He didn’t say safe. And fair according to who? Donald Trump, when he gets to steal elections?
Look, shame on the two Democrats that voted to confirm this man. He is incompetent, but even more so, he is dangerous, and he is corrupt, just like Donald Trump and Kristi Noem. It is why I think this Congress has to do everything in its power between now and November to pass adequate legislation and work with state authorities to ensure that we, in fact, have free and fair elections, and free from terror, and that means free from ICE.
We have a responsibility in the Senate and the House right now to ensure that not one more dollar goes to DHS. We should be abolishing it. It’s what people want on the ground. And it’s the responsibility of Democrats to ensure that we protect, at all costs, free and fair elections, and free and fair from Mullin, from Noem, from Tom Homan, and certainly from Stephen Miller and Donald Trump.
AMY GOODMAN: Congressmember Delia Ramirez, the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, Democratic Congressmember from Illinois, joining us from the Capitol.
Up next, Pentagon whistleblower Wes Bryant on the war in Iran and the U.S. military under Pete Hegseth. Stay with us.
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AMY GOODMAN: “People Have the Power,” Patti Smith, performing at Democracy Now!‘s 30th anniversary celebration in a rare joint performance with Bruce Springsteen, Michael Stipe and more. We’ll play more of this song later in the broadcast.
