Kristi Noem snaps back amid anger over her claim she'll ensure the 'right people' elect the 'right leaders' in midterms [View all]

Source: The Independent

Sunday 15 February 2026 17:25 EST


Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem doubled down on her assertion that her department assists in election security Sunday, telling critics that they were creating fake outrage after she asserted the “right people” would elect “the right leaders.”

Over the weekend, lawmakers, democracy advocates and political commentators raised alarm bells at Noem’s claim that her department, which oversees domestic security and immigration, played a role in safeguarding elections “to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders.”

But Noem brushed off those concerns, telling CNN anchor Jake Tapper and ABC News’s White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl: “It must be exhausting to regularly manufacture outrage even over the most commonsense statement.”

The secretary insisted she was referring to preventing non-citizens from voting through election infrastructure. It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote. “The choice of who to vote for is obviously up to the voters themselves,” Noem said.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/kristi-noem-midterm-elections-voting-b2920871.html