Kristi Noem to testify before Senate Judiciary

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will testify March 3 before the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to an aide for Chair Chuck Grassley.

Grassley has been haggling for weeks to schedule Noem’s testimony as part of his panel’s regular oversight of DHS. But her high-profile appearance will likely be dominated by senators’ questions regarding the agency’s immigration enforcement tactics following two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis in the past month.

Some GOP senators — including Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is a member on the committee — have called for an independent investigation into the latest shooting over the weekend, while others have criticized initial comments from top administration officials that suggested the victim bore responsibility and not the officers involved.