Sen. Tim Kaine says supporting Kristi Noem as DHS secretary was a "big mistake"
Source: CBS News
March 8, 2026 / 1:50 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, expressed regret on Sunday for supporting Kristi Noem for Department of Homeland Security secretary last year. "Big mistake," Kaine said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
President Trump announced Thursday that Noem would leave her role following a string of controversies that boiled over last week. The president announced that he had selected GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as her replacement.
Kaine was one of seven Democrats who voted in favor of Noem's confirmation to the role at the helm of DHS last year. On Sunday, Kaine, a former governor, pointed to Noem's time leading South Dakota as his justification for supporting her confirmation, saying "governors are often good Cabinet secretaries."
"But what we learned, and this bears going forward, is that she wasn't calling the shots," Kaine said. "Stephen Miller is calling the shots, and as long as he is calling the shots without reforms, this is going to continue to be a very, very rogue, renegade department."
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tim-kaine-kristi-noem-confirmation-vote-homeland-security/
JBTaurus83
(1,189 posts)Nasruddin
(1,233 posts)Except when they 've already clearly shown they are incompetent, psychopathic grifters WHILE GOVERNOR.
To think this dope could've been vice president. Suppose ....
niyad
(131,705 posts)50 Shades Of Blue
(11,364 posts)BaronChocula
(4,435 posts)I'm betting yes.
KAINE: Senator Mullin, do you promise to do a better job than Secretary Noem?
MULLIN: Yes.
KAINE: I yield, Chairman.
rpannier
(24,898 posts)Mullin is a respected US Senator.
Which I guess tells us how far the senate has fallen when that clown (Mullin) is called respected
BaronChocula
(4,435 posts)Someone tell Peter that Bernie Sanders had to remind MMA Mullin that he was a senator when he tried to pick a fight with a witness during a hearing. Respected my ass.
calimary
(89,768 posts)What the hell took him so long???
Attempted benefit of the doubt that turned into just another big fail. Sheesh! By now all these so-called in the know folks sure have developed a talent for bad judgment.
TBF
(36,388 posts)saying Stephen Miller is calling the shots. May be correct, but did he not read the book? She's an intentionally useful idiot. And now not even useful ...
Justice matters.
(9,684 posts)on the taxpayers' dime (the soon to be over 40 trillions national debt + interests).
She should be forced to reimburse all of what she stole, plus interests.
MayReasonRule
(4,093 posts)



LiberalLovinLug
(14,650 posts)........"Stephen Miller is calling the shots"
So.....what you are saying, is that if it weren't for Miller overseeing her, the puppy killer with no experience, who backed all of Trumps lies previously, was a fine pick?
We have to weed out all these baffling maga appeasers in the Democratic Party.
Red Mountain
(2,315 posts)Because Miller is still calling the shots.
What is he going to do? Make Mullin promise not to listen to Miller while he does what he is told to do by Trump?
Miller=Trump
They ARE the administration.
MarkWayne will fall in line so fast it will put a smile on Miller's face.
Prove you learned something, Senator. Do not vote to confirm.
Or just step aside.
Autumn
(48,931 posts)Evolve Dammit
(21,734 posts)niyad
(131,705 posts)Katinfl
(768 posts)Ocelot II
(130,219 posts)I always thought that guy was a lightweight.
Ritabert
(2,297 posts)Stop approving ANY Trump nominees. One is worse than the other.
Bengus81
(10,094 posts)SSJVegeta
(2,757 posts)csusan
(71 posts)If I knew someone killed a puppy or dog or any helpless animal, that would tell me everything I needed to know.
That kind of behavior can't be over looked.
karynnj
(60,909 posts)Not just no regrets or guilt, she put it in her book because she thought it showed her strength.
colorado_ufo
(6,235 posts)niyad
(131,705 posts)None of the tribes would allow her on their lands!!! WTAF did you THINK about that???
She was krasnov's appointee!!! WTAF were you THINKING???
Buddyzbuddy
(2,441 posts)Senator, your judgement SUCKS?
Dave in VA
(2,281 posts)Slotkin, MI
Shaheen NH
Peters MI
Kim NJ
Hassan NH
Fetterman PA
And I would assume that all of the lovely comments that I am reading in this thread apply to these Senators as well.
WOW
Keepthesoulalive
(2,234 posts)An affable guy with no real core. Everything Trump does should be stopped not met with approval or allowing people who should not be in charge of collecting garbage to be put in charge of our institutions.
Dave in VA
(2,281 posts)Senator Kaine's vote. I am just flabbergasted by some of the comments in this thread. And if the commenter feels this way about Senator Kaine, then I suppose they feel the same about the other six Democrats that voted to confirm the puppy killer.
ret5hd
(22,440 posts)LuvLoogie
(8,768 posts)I would like less white supremacy. No private prisons. Trials.
ret5hd
(22,440 posts)Klarkashton
(5,227 posts)Javaman
(65,604 posts)Now hes sorry, he can fuck all the way off
We, the great unwashed, watching from the sidelines knew sure as shit she was a fucking self serving psychopath.
It didnt take any fucking keen magical insight to know this
BidenRocks
(3,159 posts)You serve the people!
The vast majority were screaming about ALL of these yahoos.
NOOO!
Did you listen to us?
NOOO!
Cry me a river dumbass!
58Sunliner
(6,303 posts)Scrivener7
(59,329 posts)Grins
(9,405 posts)As governor she was an ambitious boot-licking sycophant without scruples. (Or morals, as she has demonstrated.). This was not hard to see by anyone, including a Senator.
BonnieJW
(3,114 posts)She was a governor
Skittles
(171,052 posts)Solly Mack
(96,817 posts)live love laugh
(16,328 posts)Vogon_Glory
(10,278 posts)One of the most baffling and infuriating behaviors of the Democratic senators who approved Trumps nominees last year was their no- or few-questions-asked approvals of corrupt and/or incompetent Trump nominees. They SHOULD have asked more questions. They SHOULD have put more of those people on holds. They SHOULD have done investigations when there was already visible dirt.
They didnt. Instead they led the nominations blow right on through and now were here.
It is extremely unfortunate that our party and our country are in such desperate straits right now. If our republic was healthier, Id say that at the very least, they ought to be primaried FOR NOT DOING THEIR JOBS.