'There Were A Lot Of Other Problems': John Kennedy Says Kristi Noem Ouster Wasn't Just About 'Spending Porn'
Kennedy said his hearing questions about DHS advertising contributed to Noem’s removal, while citing broader problems at the agency.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYThe Daily Caller is an established, openly partisan news outlet with named authors and original reporting, but its partisan orientation and limited evidence in this short article temper its institutional credibility.
- Source type — A recognizable national digital outlet, though openly conservative and partisan.
- Author attribution — The article names an author.
- Transparency — The page identifies the outlet and author, but the article offers limited detail about its reporting process.
- Editorial standards — The article attributes key claims to Kennedy and reports Noem’s response, but relies on a narrow set of sources.
The article includes Kennedy’s account and Noem’s responses from the hearing, and attributes the contract concerns to reports and to lawmakers. It offers little independent corroboration or context beyond those accounts.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article includes Noem’s responses to the contract questions, but Kennedy’s account dominates and the reported concerns receive little independent verification or outside perspective.
- Counterarguments presented — Noem’s denial of political ties and account of the bidding process are included.
- Source diversity — The story mainly relies on Kennedy’s statements and Noem’s hearing responses.
- Omitted context — It gives little independent detail about the contracts or the other problems Kennedy referenced.
- Loaded language — The strongest language is quoted from Kennedy rather than adopted by the article.
The article reports Kennedy’s criticism and Noem’s responses in largely neutral language. Its headline emphasizes Kennedy’s explanation, but the text does not clearly advance a partisan position.
- Language tone — Mostly straight reporting, with Kennedy’s vivid phrase presented as a quotation.
- Source selection — Centers Kennedy’s account while also reporting Noem’s answers and denials.
- Headline — The headline foregrounds Kennedy’s view of Noem’s removal but does not explicitly endorse it.
Sen. John Kennedy said Kristi Noem’s removal as Homeland Security secretary reflected broader problems at the agency, not just its costly advertising campaign. He said his questions about the campaign contributed to the decision, while Noem denied political ties to the contractors.
Kennedy said his questions to Noem at a Senate hearing about a roughly $220 million advertising campaign were a “final straw,” but he said other problems at the Department of Homeland Security also distracted from the administration’s agenda. He said President Donald Trump called him after the hearing and that he could tell Trump planned to replace Noem.
Kennedy criticized reports that Noem awarded no-bid advertising contracts to firms with personal connections to her and senior advisers. Noem said career DHS officials handled competitive bidding and denied prior political ties between her and the contractors. Trump announced he wanted Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her.
Community verdict
24 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Louisiana senator who questioned Noem about the DHS advertising campaign
Homeland Security secretary whose removal and agency leadership are discussed
Noem's version of this story ↗Vermont senator who raised the contractor-ties allegation
President who announced he wanted Mullin to replace Noem
Oklahoma senator Trump said he wanted to replace Noem as DHS secretary
Part of a bigger story
7 OUTLETSJohn Kennedy questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about a roughly $220 million DHS advertising campaign. President Donald Trump later removed Noem from the department. Center outlets connect Kennedy’s questioning to Noem’s removal and report competing accounts of Trump’s approval of the campaign. Right-leaning outlets center Kennedy’s account of Trump’s denial and include claims that broader problems at DHS also contributed to Noem’s departure.
- ARTICLES
- 8
- OUTLETS
- 7
- AVG CRED
- 63
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