How Kristi Noem finally lost Trump — and her job | CNN Politics

After a year of controversies, Kristi Noem’s fate was sealed over just a few days. It started with a heads-up from the Hill. Sen. John Kennedy let the White House know Sunday that he was not going to go easy on the Homeland Security secretary when she appeared before the Judiciary Committee. The Louisiana Republican planned to pepper Noem with tough questions about her agency’s lavish spending on an advertising campaign that prominently showcased her. Before cameras and a packed audience Tuesday, Kennedy eased into his line of questioning. Properly vetting people at the southern border isn’t racist, right? Both Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are needed to do that, are they not? Noem responded in the affirmative. “OK,” Kennedy said. “I just wanted to get my congratulations on the record.” He then delivered on his plan, unleashing a series of questions about the $220 million ad campaign and how that squared with Noem’s stated promise to root out waste from her agency. He had to ask more than once whether Trump approved that spending spree before Noem provided a direct answer: “Mmhmm, yes.” That response, it turned out, was the embattled Cabi