What specific evidence do the articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem cite, and where can the full text be read?
Executive summary
Democratic Rep. Robin Kelly introduced three articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—obstruction of Congress (sometimes framed as obstruction of justice), violation of public trust, and self‑dealing—backed by roughly 70 House Democrats; the resolution and its full text are available on the official congressional record at Congress.gov (H.Res.996) and via multiple members’ press releases (Kelly’s office, Sherman’s office) that link to the text [1] [2] [3]. The articles compile alleged operational abuses by DHS and ICE (including a deadly Minneapolis shooting, aggressive raids and arrests during “Operation Midway Blitz”), procedural refusals to comply with congressional oversight, and a contested contract award for a multi‑million‑dollar recruitment ad campaign that critics say was steered to political allies [4] [5] [2].
1. What the articles formally accuse Noem of: three enumerated charges
The resolution lays out three discrete charges: obstruction of Congress/obstruction of justice for denying or impeding lawful congressional oversight of DHS operations; violation of the public trust for allegedly directing or tolerating aggressive ICE practices that led to unlawful arrests and at least one fatal shooting; and self‑dealing for steering federal contracting and recruitment funds to a newly formed firm with personal ties to senior DHS staff—allegations explicitly named in the articles as grounds for impeachment [1] [6].
2. Evidence cited for the obstruction and oversight charge
Lawmakers point to repeated denials or impediments to congressional access to DHS detention facilities and to the withholding of information and funds that Congress had appropriated, alleging a pattern of willful noncompliance with oversight obligations; Rep. Kelly and cosponsors say those refusals amount to obstruction of the House’s constitutional oversight role and are detailed in the articles’ text [2] [1] [6].
3. Evidence cited for violation of public trust: operations and civilian harm
The articles inventory a series of ICE operations—cited most prominently is “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago, where Kelly and other Democrats say hundreds were arrested yet none of the 614 arrested had been charged with murder or rape as Noem publicly claimed—and the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent, which the resolution ties to Department leadership and public‑safety failures [5] [7] [1]. Supporters also point to video and local official disputes with the administration’s characterization of incidents, framing the Department’s public narratives as misleading [4] [1].
4. Evidence cited for self‑dealing: the Strategy Group and recruitment ad spending
The self‑dealing article alleges Noem steered a roughly $200 million recruitment ad campaign and related contracting to favored Republican‑aligned agencies, including a newly formed firm called Strategy Group run by the husband of a senior DHS official and close friend of Noem’s; critics say the contract award bypassed normal competitive procurement processes and violated ethics rules (with references to 5 C.F.R. pt. 2635 cited in the filings) [2] [8] [7].
5. Political context, backers and competing narratives
About 70 House Democrats have signed on or signaled support for the articles, and multiple House offices have released statements and transcripts explaining their rationale [4] [3] [9]. Republicans and the administration have pushed a counter‑narrative: Noem and officials described some incidents as domestic terrorism or framed operations as lawful enforcement, and Noem herself dismissed the impeachment effort as “silly,” a characterization Kelly and cosponsors explicitly rebut in their filings and statements [4] [6].
6. Where to read the full text and verify claims
The complete text of the articles of impeachment—H.Res. 996, “Impeaching Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem”—is posted on Congress.gov as the official House resolution, and members’ press releases (Rep. Robin Kelly, Rep. Brad Sherman, Rep. John Larson and others) link to or reproduce the text and accompanying statements laying out the evidentiary allegations [1] [2] [3] [8]. Reporting from outlets that covered the filing summarizes the allegations and the list of cosponsors but readers should consult the Congress.gov text for the verbatim legal language and enumerated factual allegations [1] [10].