A congresswoman wants to impeach Kristi Noem. She's right to do so Jan-Werner Mller

[Uncle Joe]

It may be tempting to dismiss the move as hopeless – but it interrupts the Trump administration’s promise of impunity

In the wake of the killing of Renee Nicole Good, Congresswoman Robin Kelly has announced the filing of three articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary. Predictably, reactions have been muted at best: with the GOP holding both the Senate and the House, impeachment can be dismissed as purely performative, a helpless response to an in and of itself understandable moral imperative of “just do something!”

But such dismissals are too quick: this administration has been running on a promise of impunity at all levels, and Democrats have to start signaling that actions have consequences. They also need to break out of a fateful dynamic: during Trump 2.0, misdeeds and scandals are following each other in such rapid succession that neither the press nor the public ever seem to get to focus on one. Impeachment can concentrate minds and slow down political time.

Of course, on one level it is obscene to make a senseless killing immediately subject to political calculations – what happened in Minneapolis is not a test of Machiavellian savviness, but of one’s capacity for compassion and decency. Trump’s sycophants have been failing it; they rushed into TV studios, spreading lies about Good’s conduct as well as her character, outdoing each other in blaming and smearing the victim. They have also effectively communicated that anyone deemed somehow to stand in the way of Stephen Miller’s will triumphing can be declared a “domestic terrorist” – and treated like the law no longer protected them at all.

(snip)

Lies that go unopposed tend to stick, and the rewriting of the history of January 6 demonstrates that Trumpists will be relentless in making everyone repeat them, as they become part of a political loyalty test. Impeachment is one way of creating a truthful record. Impeachment cannot simply be stopped by the House speaker. Kelly has announced that she wants to charge Noem with willfully obstructing congressional oversight, with directing unconstitutional actions, and with abusing her office for personal benefit.

(snip)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/11/kristi-noem-homeland-security-trump

[FakeNoose]

1. Uuhhh, she needs to be charged with Murder One

[mopinko]

2. she's running for durbin's seat.

havent made up my mind, but she’s on my short list.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. MaddowBlog-DHS' Noem faces new articles of impeachment backed by dozens of House Democrats

The effort to hold the Homeland Security secretary to account probably won’t pass, but that doesn’t make it irrelevant.

The impeachment effort targeting Kristi Noem almost certainly won’t succeed, at least not anytime soon, but it’s starting with a heck of a lot more congressional support than the usual impeachment resolutions. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-01-14T19:34:38.227Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/kristi-noem-impeached-impeachment-house-democrats

Last week, Democratic Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois announced plans to file articles of impeachment against Noem. This week, she followed through — along with quite a few of her colleagues. HuffPost reported:

With the support of nearly 70 colleagues, Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) on Wednesday introduced three articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The first accuses Noem of obstruction of Congress, for denying lawmakers access to Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities to provide oversight. The second accuses her of violating public trust, for directing DHS agents to arrest people without warrants and for ignoring due process. The third accuses her of self-dealing, for secretly steering a federal contract to a firm run by her friend.

“Secretary Noem has called my impeachment effort ‘silly,’” Kelly told reporters. “I want to tell her right now, ‘Secretary Noem, you have violated your oath of office, and there will be consequences. I am watching you. Members of Congress are watching you. The American people, most importantly, are watching you.’”

Rep. Kelly: Secretary Noem, you have violated your oath of office. And there will be consequences.

— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) 2026-01-14T16:58:52.736519087Z

....The articles of impeachment against Noem, however, are quantitatively different: Kelly’s resolution was introduced with the support of 69 House Democrats, which represents roughly a third of the party’s conference in the chamber, and there’s no reason to assume that total won’t grow.....

But there’s certainly symbolic value in the Democratic effort, which is being used to draw attention to the failures and outrages at the Department of Homeland Security. Watch this space.