GOP Senator Who Had Viral Spat With Kristi Noem Reveals Trump Refuted Her Under Oath Claim About Him

Screenshot via C-SPAN

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) told CBS News’ Alan He on Thursday that President Donald Trump called him after his grilling of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem the day before, and suggested that Noem’s under oath testimony had not been accurate.

Noem and Kennedy tussled during a Senate hearing on Wednesday over the hundreds of millions of dollars she spent on a pro-ICE ad campaign she starred in.

“The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?” Kennedy asked Noem during the hearing.

“Yes sir, we went through the legal processes–” Noem replied.

“Did the president know you were gonna do this?” Kennedy demanded as Noem insisted Trump was aware of it.

“I’m not saying you’re not telling the truth. It’s just hard for me to believe, knowing the president, as I do, that you said, ‘Mr. President, here’s some ads I’ve cut, and I’m going to spend $220 million running them,’ that he would have agreed to that,” Kennedy replied.

“I don’t think Russ Vought would have agreed to that,” Kennedy added, referring to the fiscal hawk running the Office of Management and Budget.

Kennedy spoke to He and told him, “After the hearing, the President [of] the United States called me, and I’m not going to speak for him. You folks know him. You can ask him yourselves, but put it this way, his recollection and her recollection are different.”

Trump later told Reuters in a phone interview, “I never knew anything about it.”

Kennedy also weighed in on Trump’s reported top pick to replace Noem at DHS – Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).

“I don’t have any inside information, gentlemen, well, actually, I do, but if you’re asking me, my opinion of Markwayne Mullin, he’s very able, capable guy…. I mean, I’m not going to say anything bad about him. He’ll whip my ass,” said the Louisiana Republican.

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