Senate Democrat Fawns Over Trump’s Pick to Replace Kristi Noem: Markwayne Mullin is ‘Respected…Honest and… Competent’

Democratic Sen. Peter Welch (VT) had some glowing words for President Donald Trump’s pick to replace Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday.

Welch told CNN’s Kasie Hunt Thursday that Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) should have no trouble being confirmed by the Senate.

“Yeah, he’ll be confirmed,” Welch said. “The question is whether there’ll be bipartisan support for him. Markwayne Mullin is competent and he’s honest. So, those are two good things that Kristi Noem did not have. This is going to give us an opportunity to have a real discussion about what’s going on with with Department of Homeland Security.”

Trump announced Thursday — just one day after Noem wrapped up her disastrous testimony before Congress — that he was nominating Mullin to lead the department.

“The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland,’” Trump wrote.

Welch, who gave Noem a tough grilling on Wednesday about a $230 commercial and a no-bid $143 million DHS contract, continued:

Markwayne is — he’s respected, he’s honest, and he’s competent. The questions we have is about the FEMA agenda, and we’re going to have an opportunity to talk to him. We oppose having untrained people. We oppose having no knock warrants and no warrants. We oppose having unmasked agents. We oppose invasion into work sites and churches and schools. So, we’re going to have a discussion with him about that. So the issue, I think, with Markwayne, is going to be much more about the policy and what he is going to be offering us as we look ahead, rather than his personal qualities, because people respect Markwayne.

Watch the clip above via The Arena With Kasie Hunt on CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!