GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley ridicules Stephen Miller, says he's 'very, very concerned' about Trump's DHS purge
The forced resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is being widely described as the beginning of President Trump's purge of Homeland Security Department leadership. Trump can't legally replace Nielsen with his handpicked interim successor, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, as long as the last of the DHS's top leadership, Claire Grady, remains in the line of succession, so White House officials are pushing Grady to resign before Nielsen officially steps down on Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Trump's also rumored to be on the verge of dismissing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services head Lee Francis Cissna, USCIS policy chief Kathy Nuebel Kovarik, and DHS general counsel John Mitnick. In a memo about his own ouster Monday, Secret Service Director Randolph "Tex" Alles told his staff Trump warned him weeks ago that "transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security," the Journal reports. Trump also "recently told Stephen Miller, one of his most hard-line advisers: 'You're in charge' of the administration's immigration policy," the Journal adds, citing an administration official.
"Trump's congressional allies are alarmed by his purge at the Department of Homeland Security — urging him not to fire more top officials," Politico reports. No Republican is being more vocal than Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa). In an unusual move, Grassley told The Washington Post late Monday he's "very, very concerned" about Cissna's fate, particularly.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The people targeted by Trump "are the intellectual basis for what the president wants to accomplish in immigration," Grassley told the Post. "He's pulling the rug out from the very people that are trying to help him accomplish his goal." Grassley also took a jab at Miller, saying "I think it would be hard for him to demonstrate he's accomplished anything for the president." Asked to elaborate, Grassley chuckled: "It's pretty hard to elaborate on it when there hasn't been any accomplishments."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Is international law falling apart?
Today's Big Question Conflict in Gaza is testing the strength of the two intergovernmental courts in The Hague
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The Week Junior newsletter
Spark new conversations with your child - every week
By The Week Published
-
'Florida's abortion law leads to "chaos"'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published