Comments from an outgoing North Carolina senator may have gained notoriety on Sunday, though they were nothing new or from the norm.
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has long been a critic of Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff for second-term Republican President Donald Trump. He was senior advisor in the first term.
Appearing on a network talk show, Tillis said “of course” Miller should resign his position. Tillis, completing a second six-year term as Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley duel for the seat, remains critical of Miller’s “outsized influence,” comments about Greenland and a fatal shooting in Minnesota.
In January, Tillis had said, “Stephen Miller never fails to live up to my expectations of incompetence. I can tell you, if I were president, neither one of them would be in Washington right now.”
The other figure in his comment was Kristi Noem, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She was fired last week in favor of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., the choice effective March 31 pending Senate confirmation.
Talking with Jake Tapper on CNN, Tillis said in part, “We’ve lost the debate over immigration and deportations. I believe that we should deport everyone that we can find that came across the borders during the Biden administration. But we’ve got to be smart, use our limited resources and go after the most dangerous first. It didn’t look like that happened under Noem.”
Tillis said he believes Mullin will be different in dealing with Miller’s influence on Homeland Security and immigration. He described it as Mullin telling Miller to “stay in his lane.” He also said information on Charlotte’s Web remains elusive, though strained relationships are evident as he returns to his home.
“I believe Markwayne realizes its quality over quantity,” he said, referring to Miller’s quest for 3,000 deportations daily.
Tillis said Cabinet members are quite capable, and suggested Miller’s leans in are disruptive to those respective members doing what they’ve been tasked.
“He’s a big problem in this administration, and has been from the beginning,” Tillis said. “Noem is a Senate-confirmed Cabinet member. She should have been independent. I believe Markwayne will be independent.
“I believe Markwayne will be driven by data, he’ll leverage law enforcement resources and expertise, people like Tom Homan to get things right. And if he doesn’t, we’d hold him accountable.”
Tillis said he was looking forward to Mullin getting the department under control “so that Republicans can seize an issue that helped us get elected – strong on the border, strong on deportations, strong on the rule of law.”
