Congressional Democrats to Demand DOJ Probe Into Kristi Noem for Alleged Perjury

The Department of Justice is set to receive a formal referral urging an investigation into whether former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem committed perjury during her Capitol Hill testimony earlier this month, according to congressional Democrats preparing the request.

The recommendation, according to exclusive reporting by now-former CBS News correspondent Scott MacFarlane, is expected to be delivered Monday to Attorney General Pam Bondi, will come from Senate and House Judiciary Committee Democrats who say several statements Noem made during hearings on March 3 and March 4 may have violated federal laws governing false statements to Congress.

The referral will reportedly be signed by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the vice chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

Their request will ask the Justice Department to determine whether Noem “knowingly made false statements” while responding to questions about a controversial $220 million taxpayer-funded advertising campaign promoting immigration policies, along with issues surrounding detention facilities, the detention of U.S. citizens, and compliance with federal court orders.

Democrats say the recommendation will cite at least four specific statements from Noem’s testimony that “appear to violate criminal statutes prohibiting perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress.”

During the hearing, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) scolded Noem over the ad campaign and asked whether the president had been aware of plans for the advertisements. Noem replied, “Yes.”

However, according to MacFarlane, Democrats plan to reference a subsequent interview with Reuters in which President Donald Trump said, “I never knew anything about it.”

The referral will also challenge Noem’s account of how the contracts for the campaign were awarded and Noem’s statements about conditions inside U.S. immigration detention facilities.

The referral will argue that “ICE internal audits have documented significant failures to meet medical care standards,” contradicting assurances given in her testimony that the department had been meeting federal requirements.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security rejected the claims outright in a statement to MacFarlane.

“Any claim that Secretary Noem committed perjury is categorically false,” the spokesperson said.

The Justice Department is not required to act on congressional referrals,

Days after appearing before Congress, Trump reassigned Noem from her cabinet role, naming her a special envoy while nominating Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

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