Kirstjen Nielsen Denies She Threatened To Resign After Trump Scolding

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen listens during a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill May 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialow... US Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen listens during a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill May 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told reporters on Tuesday that she did not threaten to resign after President Donald Trump reportedly scolded her in front of stafers last week about an increase in illegal immigration.

“I have not resigned,” she said in response to reporters’ questions as she left a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday, according to Politico. “I didn’t threaten to resign.”

The Department of Homeland Security has previously denied that Nielsen mulled resigning, despite reports from several news outlets. In her initial statements to the media, Nielsen wouldn’t confirm or deny that she had considered leaving the administration.

The New York Times was first to report last week that Nielsen was “close” to resigning after Trump yelled at her in front of colleagues about his stance that undocumented immigrant children should be separated from their parents when they cross into the U.S. illegally.

According to the Times, Nielsen “told associates after the meeting that she should not continue in the job if the President did not view her as effective.”

Latest Livewire
18
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for ghost ghost says:

    Which doesn’t mean she didn’t go back to the office and update her c.v. and tell her assistants ‘I can’t work for this stupid asshole.’ She just didn’t threaten to resign directly to Trump or Kelly.

  2. Kirstjen is a proud doormat.

  3. I get that there’s lots of people out there who attach themselves to Trump for purposes of self-promotion. The amazing thing is the enthusiasm for self-degradation.

  4. Thanks for confirming that it really did happen, Kirstjen.

  5. Kirstjen: "I’ll never resign. It’ll take dynamite to get me out of here. I’m a heartless cur — I belong here! Besides, I have to stay to receive my Rethugliklan Mother of the Year Award.

    “I’m also so tainted I couldn’t get another job if my life depended on it.”

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

12 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for ignatius_donnelly Avatar for fgs Avatar for ghost Avatar for ajoguy Avatar for mondfledermaus Avatar for sysprog Avatar for smiley Avatar for bluinmaine Avatar for johnrm Avatar for hquain Avatar for arc_of_the_universe Avatar for dommyluc Avatar for rickjones Avatar for tiowally Avatar for erik_t Avatar for klip1 Avatar for rascal_crone

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: