Dem rep opens House hearing by telling Noem to resign in fiery statement

By Fox News · Fox News

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign Thursday during opening remarks at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland." "You have systematically dismantled the Department of Homeland Security, put your own interests above the department, and violated the law. You are making America less safe," said Thompson. "So rather than sitting here and wasting your time and ours with more corruption, lies and lawlessness, I call on you to resign. Do a real service to the country and just resign. That is, if President Trump doesn't fire you first." As Noem was giving her opening statement, several protesters against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) interrupted, yelling, "Get ICE off our streets," and, "Stop terrorizing our community." The protesters were escorted out by Capitol police and detained outside the hearing room. NOEM SAYS ZOHRAN MAMDANI COULD BE 'VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION' WITH ADVICE ON EVADING ICE AGENTS Noem, who was joined at the hearing by National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent and Michael Glasheen, the operations director of the National Security Branch of the FBI, said one of her grandchildren who was in the audience was crying a little during Thompson’s remarks. "I don't think she agreed with him," Noem said jokingly. She touted the work DHS has done to secure the southern border and protect the U.S. "DHS is eradicating transnational organized crime and the stopping of deadly drugs from continuing to be funneled into our communities," she told lawmakers. "We're ending illegal immigration, returning sanity back to our immigration system, and we're defending against cyberattacks against our critical infrastructure." NOEM CALLS FOR 'FULL TRAVEL BAN' ON COUNTRIES 'FLOODING' US WITH IMMIGRANTS AFTER DC ATTACK The former South Dakota governor, speaking about the global threats facing the country — including those posed by domestic extremists and radi…