Sen. Tim Kaine says supporting Kristi Noem as DHS secretary was a "big mistake"

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

March 8, 2026 / 1:50 PM EDT / CBS News


Washington — Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, expressed regret on Sunday for supporting Kristi Noem for Department of Homeland Security secretary last year. "Big mistake," Kaine said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."

President Trump announced Thursday that Noem would leave her role following a string of controversies that boiled over last week. The president announced that he had selected GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as her replacement.

Kaine was one of seven Democrats who voted in favor of Noem's confirmation to the role at the helm of DHS last year. On Sunday, Kaine, a former governor, pointed to Noem's time leading South Dakota as his justification for supporting her confirmation, saying "governors are often good Cabinet secretaries."

"But what we learned, and this bears going forward, is that she wasn't calling the shots," Kaine said. "Stephen Miller is calling the shots, and as long as he is calling the shots without reforms, this is going to continue to be a very, very rogue, renegade department."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tim-kaine-kristi-noem-confirmation-vote-homeland-security/

[JBTaurus83]

1. File that one under "No Shit".

[Nasruddin]

2. Missed a blunt force object there

saying "governors are often good Cabinet secretaries."

Except when they 've already clearly shown they are incompetent, psychopathic grifters WHILE GOVERNOR.

To think this dope could've been vice president. Suppose ....

[niyad]

20. I never understood that, then or now.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

3. Oh no, it was way more than a mistake.

[BaronChocula]

4. Will he make the same mistake with Mullin?

I'm betting yes.

KAINE: Senator Mullin, do you promise to do a better job than Secretary Noem?

MULLIN: Yes.

KAINE: I yield, Chairman.

[rpannier]

30. According to Senator Welch (D-VT)

Mullin is a respected US Senator.
Which I guess tells us how far the senate has fallen when that clown (Mullin) is called respected

[BaronChocula]

39. Peter, Peter, Peter

Someone tell Peter that Bernie Sanders had to remind MMA Mullin that he was a senator when he tried to pick a fight with a witness during a hearing. Respected my ass.

[calimary]

5. Shit, he's just figured out Stephen Miller?

What the hell took him so long???

Attempted “benefit of the doubt” that turned into just another big fail. Sheesh! By now all these so-called “in the know” folks sure have developed a talent for bad judgment.

[TBF]

6. Still making excuses for her -

saying Stephen Miller is calling the shots. May be correct, but did he not read the book? She's an intentionally useful idiot. And now not even useful ...

[Justice matters.]

35. For a useful idiot, she sure stole a lot of dough...

on the taxpayers' dime (the soon to be over 40 trillions national debt + interests).

She should be forced to reimburse all of what she stole, plus interests.

[MayReasonRule]

7. Choices Have Consequences

[LiberalLovinLug]

8. "But what we learned, and this bears going forward, is that she wasn't calling the shots,"

........"Stephen Miller is calling the shots"

So.....what you are saying, is that if it weren't for Miller overseeing her, the puppy killer with no experience, who backed all of Trumps lies previously, was a fine pick?

We have to weed out all these baffling maga appeasers in the Democratic Party.

[Red Mountain]

17. So is he going to vote to confirm MarkWayne?

Because Miller is still calling the shots.

What is he going to do? Make Mullin promise not to listen to Miller while he does what he is told to do by Trump?

Miller=Trump

They ARE the administration.

MarkWayne will fall in line so fast it will put a smile on Miller's face.

Prove you learned something, Senator. Do not vote to confirm.

Or just step aside.

[Autumn]

9. No shit. Anyone could have, and probably did tell you that

[Evolve Dammit]

10. How about some more Mea Culpas??? (My Fault)

[niyad]

29. Mea Maxima Culpa! tim.

[Katinfl]

11. I believe no Democrat should ever vote for any of his stupid nominations. They always live to regret any yes vote.,

[Ocelot II]

12. Ya think, Tim?

I always thought that guy was a lightweight.

[Ritabert]

13. Sen. Kaine you've already earned your pension

Stop approving ANY Trump nominees. One is worse than the other.

[Bengus81]

14. Only slightly smaller than the known Universe Tim

[SSJVegeta]

15. good you know that. Now STOP MAKING THEM

[csusan]

16. Voted for a puppy killer

If I knew someone killed a puppy or dog or any helpless animal, that would tell me everything I needed to know.

That kind of behavior can't be over looked.

[karynnj]

43. Even worse, she thought it to her credit that she did.

Not just no regrets or guilt, she put it in her book because she thought it showed her strength.

[colorado_ufo]

18. One of many.

[niyad]

19. She was a puppy killer, Tim !!! WTAF did you THINK about that???

None of the tribes would allow her on their lands!!! WTAF did you THINK about that???
She was krasnov's appointee!!! WTAF were you THINKING???

[Buddyzbuddy]

21. Yeah, I'm sure Desantis would be a great Cabinet Secretary.

Senator, your judgement SUCKS?

[Dave in VA]

22. And so did...

Slotkin, MI
Shaheen NH
Peters MI
Kim NJ
Hassan NH
Fetterman PA

And I would assume that all of the lovely comments that I am reading in this thread apply to these Senators as well.

WOW

[Keepthesoulalive]

23. As a Virginian I will say my senator is a lightweight

An affable guy with no real core. Everything Trump does should be stopped not met with approval or allowing people who should not be in charge of collecting garbage to be put in charge of our institutions.

[Dave in VA]

25. I'm not defending

Senator Kaine's vote. I am just flabbergasted by some of the comments in this thread. And if the commenter feels this way about Senator Kaine, then I suppose they feel the same about the other six Democrats that voted to confirm the puppy killer.

[ret5hd]

27. pretty much...shooting puppies is kinda a deal killer for me tho.

[LuvLoogie]

24. Nobody is going to go to jail from this administration.

I would like less white supremacy. No private prisons. Trials.

[ret5hd]

26. You're a genius you must have an in of 160:

[Klarkashton]

28. Didn't connect the dots I guess.

[Javaman]

31. Oh for fucks sakes

Now he’s sorry, he can fuck all the way off

We, the great unwashed, watching from the sidelines knew sure as shit she was a fucking self serving psychopath.

It didn’t take any fucking keen magical insight to know this

[BidenRocks]

32. Hey Timmy!

You serve the people!
The vast majority were screaming about ALL of these yahoos.
NOOO!
Did you listen to us?
NOOO!
Cry me a river dumbass!

[58Sunliner]

33. Really?

Can we primary Kaine and Warner??

[Scrivener7]

34. Gosh. Really?

[Grins]

36. "...governors are often good Cabinet secretaries." No.

GOOD governors are often (key word) good Cabinet secretaries.

As governor she was an ambitious boot-licking sycophant without scruples. (Or morals, as she has demonstrated.). This was not hard to see by anyone, including a Senator.

[BonnieJW]

40. What about Sarah Palin?

She was a governor

[Skittles]

37. there is NO VALID EXCUSE for voting for that Trump humping piece of SHIT

N O N E

[Solly Mack]

38. An easily avoidable mistake.

[live love laugh]

41. AYFKM

[Vogon_Glory]

42. His Mistake, Their Mistake: Giving Trump Nominees The Benefit Of The Doubt

One of the most baffling and infuriating behaviors of the Democratic senators who approved Trump’s nominees last year was their no- or few-questions-asked approvals of corrupt and/or incompetent Trump nominees. They SHOULD have asked more questions. They SHOULD have put more of those people on holds. They SHOULD have done investigations when there was already visible dirt.

They didn’t. Instead they led the nominations blow right on through and now we’re here.

It is extremely unfortunate that our party and our country are in such desperate straits right now. If our republic was healthier, I’d say that at the very least, they ought to be primaried FOR NOT DOING THEIR JOBS.