Noem under fire from GOP senators as dog killing issue comes up during DHS oversight hearing

Interior Secretary Kristi Noem faced heat from Republicans during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, including criticism of her leadership during the Trump administration’s firings, and one GOP senator comparing past animal killings to decisions she made as DHS secretary.

Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis, RN.C., and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., both interviewed Noem on Tuesday during a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) oversight hearing with lawmakers.

Tillis compared Noem’s decisions as a farmer and dog owner to what he described as Noem’s disastrous leadership during the Trump administration. Meanwhile, Kennedy clashed with Noem over his decision to describe Renee Good and Alex Pretti as domestic terrorists in the early days after their murders, and his subsequent reason for doing so.

“Those are bad decisions made in the heat of the moment. It’s not like what happened in Minneapolis,” Tillis said, comparing Noem’s time as a pet owner to his leadership as DHS Secretary.

Noem first came under fire in the Spring of 2024 when he reported on an advanced copy of his memoir, “No Going Back,” detailing the killing of his family dog ​​Cricket, and a separate incident in which he killed a goat. Noem explained that the dog proved to be “untrainable” after several violent attacks and explained the decision to finally shoot the dog.

“I hated that dog,” Noem recalled, according to The Guardian and other media reports that included a copy of Noem’s book that had been released at the time. “[Cricket was] it’s a danger to anyone he comes in contact with.”

“It wasn’t a fun job,” Noem reportedly continued, “but it had to be done. And after it was over, I saw another unpleasant job that needed to be done.” Noem then described the slaughter of the goat which Noem described as “ugly and cruel,” adding that it smelled “disgusting, bitter, loud” and complained that it “loved to drive” her children away.

Reporting on Noem’s memo led to a group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill starting the Dog Lovers Caucus, and part of Noem’s memo led to criticism from animal rights groups and other critics.

“You decided to kill that dog because you would not have invested in the right time and training, and then you have the courage to enter the book and say it is a leadership lesson about difficult choices. It is in your book, we can play it when we have time,” said Tillis in the middle of his heated testimony about Noem’s leadership, which includes criticism about his way of managing the Federal EFmergency Management (EMAFmergency).

“And you killed a goat because you said it was misbehaving. You’re a farmer. You don’t feed a goat. They behave badly. You should have done that before, but my point is, those bad decisions were made in the heat of the moment. It’s not like what happened up in Minneapolis,” he continued.

Kristi Noem participates in the South Dakota Buffalo Roundup in September 2023 (Fox News Digital)

In addition to the hunt for Tillis, Noem also met with GOP Senator Kennedy, who expressed concern about who he was taking direction from when he ran DHS.

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“At that time he said [what Renne Good and Alex Pretti engaged in] were acts of domestic terrorism,” Kennedy explained to Noem, who confirmed that it was an internal review of what the couple’s actions “appeared” to be. Noem tried to argue that the review came at a time when a lot of information was spreading about the Trump administration’s deportation efforts in Minneapolis, but Kennedy stood her ground and continued to question.

“As I said earlier in this trial that -,” Noem tried to say before Kennedy cut him off. “You said? I think it’s been widely reported. Did you say that?”

Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, remains silent while addressing members of the media on Capitol Hill. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Noem continued to try to explain the reason for the domestic terrorism label, until Kennedy intervened. “I think it’s safe to say you’ve been pushed back on that,” Kennedy said, adding that he didn’t want to pass judgment on your justice, but he did want to point it out. “Yes,” Noem agreed, before Kennedy got to the point of his question.

“What caught my attention was that you blamed these statements on Mr. Stephen Miller at the White House, right?”

Noem has vehemently denied the accusations, arguing that the claim came from an anonymous, untrusted source. “When you see that in the headlines of unknown sources and unknown sources it says a lot of things, but I never said anything,” Noem said. But Kennedy responded that he “said on the record” that “everything I did, I did at the behest of the president and Stephen.” Kennedy then gave the exact date Noem mentioned.

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“Do you think it was fair to accuse Mr. Miller of your words?” Kennedy asked.

Noem dismissed the question and continued to dispute the validity of the claim that he made such statements, adding that he “did not” blame Miller for his decision to call Good and Pretti domestic terrorists.

“You’re reading from a newspaper article with unknown sources.”

“Do you deny that you said that?” Kennedy asked.

“Sir, I will not talk about this situation that is found in unknown sources,” said Noem again.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has promised to appear on CNN to discuss any topic. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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The report in question is a January article from Axios, which wrote that “the episode reflects the confusion that gripped the administration after Saturday’s shooting death of Minnesota protester Alex Pretti. It also shows the influence of Miller, a close Trump adviser whose long tenure in the White House far exceeds his title.”

“They quoted you on the record as saying it was Stephen’s fault,” Kennedy replied before the committee chairman announced that the senator’s term was up. “Thank you,” Kennedy said before the new senator began the floor.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment about Noem’s trade during Tuesday’s hearing, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

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