Noem, Top US Lawyers Reveal Little in Judge’s Contempt Probe

Facing a criminal contempt of court probe, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and two senior Trump administration lawyers offered bare bones accounts of their roles in a decision not to turn around planes of Venezuelan migrants in March per a judge’s directive.

In a one-page, signed declaration filed in court on Friday evening, Noem said she “made the decision” to complete the transfer of the migrants to El Salvador after receiving legal advice from the department’s chief counsel. That lawyer had relayed guidance from “senior leadership” at the US Justice Department.

Kristi Noem

Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg

Noem didn’t share details of those “privileged” conversations ...