DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin's replacement is even worse

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin’s replacement is even worse
Kristi Noem isn’t shaking up DHS, she’s doubling down on violence and propaganda

By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published February 23, 2026 6:45AM (EST)


(Salon) Even in an administration of shameless liars, Tricia McLaughlin is a standout. The Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman, who announced on Feb. 17 that she would be stepping down, has a gift for being able to issue preposterous falsehoods with a straight face on an hourly basis — usually in defense of Secretary Kristi Noem‘s deportation agenda. McLaughlin’s skill is chilling. She treats the English language the way Hannibal Lecter regards a murder victim he’s about to dissect and consume.

This is the same woman who accused Alex Pretti of wanting to “massacre law enforcement,” even though video showed the Minneapolis ICU nurse was helping a woman to her feet before he was tackled and killed with multiple gunshots by Border Patrol agents. McLaughlin accused Renee Good of “domestic terrorism,” even though video showed she was turning her car away from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents before one shot and killed her in Minneapolis. The spokeswoman also accused Marimar Martinez, another of Border Patrol’s shooting victims, of “domestic terrorism,” even though video shows Martinez’s car was rammed by agents, and not the other way around. McLaughlin’s lies were easily disproved by reporting, videos and photos. Yes, Tricia, children are being zip-tied by federal agents. No, Tricia, former Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino was not struck in the head by rocks thrown by protesters.

....(snip)....

As it turns out, progressives don’t need to worry about losing this particular villain — because there is another. Lauren Bis, the woman reported to be McLaughlin’s replacement, may be an even more dishonest character. As McLaughlin’s deputy, Bis has been responsible for “fact-checking” videos in which she lies with a self-righteous smugness that would make JD Vance jealous. Her response to Good’s killing is especially hard to watch. Bis characterizes the people who are simply standing around as “rioters,” claims that Good tried to run over the ICE officer with her car and insists that ICE agents tried to assist Good, when multiple witnesses said they blocked medical care. (The video also had a prominent typo, with “assaults” misspelled as “assults.” It’s unclear if this was an accident made by hastily throwing the video together, or if it was a deliberate attempt to bait liberals into looking sanctimonious by correcting the spelling.)

....(snip)....

By replacing McLaughlin with someone just as eager to debase herself, Noem is signaling that she has no intention of changing course at DHS — and any hopes to the contrary assume a capacity for self-reflection the secretary doesn’t seem to have. This is a woman who, according to a devastating Wall Street Journal report, believes her top aide, Corey Lewandowski, when he says she can win the presidency in 2028. Remember: in 2024, Noem even seemed to think that telling a story about shooting her own dog would help her politically. .....................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/02/23/dhs-spokeswoman-tricia-mclaughlins-replacement-is-even-worse/