Noem accused in scathing letter of 'systematic obstruction'  — including in criminal probe

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faces intense pressure after the department's inspector general accused agency leadership of "systematically obstructing" investigations, including a federal criminal inquiry with national security implications.

In a scathing letter to Congress, Inspector General Joseph Cuffari detailed 11 instances where DHS blocked his office from accessing critical records and databases, the Wall Street Journal and Politico reported.

"He said DHS’s refusal to cooperate in the criminal investigation, which he said had national security implications, was 'particularly egregious,'" the Journal wrote.

Noem was in the hot seat during Senate testimony Tuesday, with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) demanding her resignation. The letter came up briefly during the testimony.

“Does anybody have any idea how bad it has to be for the OIG in this agency to come out and do this publicly?” Tillis said, referring to the office of the inspector general. “That is stonewalling, that’s a failure of leadership, and that is why I’ve called for your resignation.”

The dispute centers on a classified criminal investigation that remains shrouded in mystery.

When Cuffari requested database access in April, DHS slapped conditions on the request that would have forced investigators to expose sensitive details to potentially compromised personnel — an arrangement Cuffari blasted as unacceptable.

DHS countered that Cuffari failed to provide necessary information and accused him of acting in "bad faith" by escalating to Congress. A department spokeswoman claimed "the ball rests fully in the OIG's court."

Cuffari also accused DHS of blocking a Secret Service intelligence review launched after Trump's 2024 assassination attempt.

Noem dismissed the watchdog's concerns as based on flawed data, but Cuffari's office maintains the department has failed to address any substantive criticisms.