Tillis becomes first GOP senator to call for “incompetent” Noem to step down

Washington — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said Tuesday he has lost all confidence in “incompetent” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has come under scrutiny following a fatal shooting by immigration agents over the weekend.

“I think my position is unambiguous,” Tillis told reporters. “I think she should go.”

Tillis was the first Republican to call for Noem’s ouster, although other members of his party have not hesitated to criticize the Trump administration’s response to the murder of Alex Prettian intensive care unit nurse who was fatally shot by two Customs and Border Protection officers in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Tillis, who is retiring, said his doubts about Noem extend beyond her department’s handling of Minnesota’s immigration crackdown.

“I can’t think of anything to be proud of over the last year,” Tillis said. “She brought this administration down on an issue that we should own. We should own the issue of border security and immigration. But they destroyed that for the Republicans, something that got the president elected. They destroyed it with their incompetence.”

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska later echoed the sentiments shared by Tillis.

“I lost confidence in her,” Murkowski told reporters. “We would be better served with new leadership.”

CBS News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

President Trump told reporters Tuesday that Noem is “doing a very good job” and that he would not resign. CBS News reported Earlier, Noem was under internal review within the administration but is expected to keep her position, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Noem was at the White House on Monday and was asked about DHS’s handling of the Pretti shooting and its response, sources said. His focus is expected to shift from immigration control operations inside the country to securing the southern border and other priorities.