DHS Secretary Kristi Noem testifies during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security” on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in the Rayburn Building.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
Democratic leaders on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees are calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lied under oath to Congress.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the ranking member of the Senate committee, and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking Democrat on the House committee, on Monday sent a referral to Ms. Bondi, accusing Noem of potentially violating perjury laws and making false statements to Congress when she appeared before both committees on March 3 and March 4.
“Much of her statements appear to violate criminal law prohibiting perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress,” the lawmakers wrote, highlighting her statements that the department had not violated court orders regarding immigration.
President Donald Trump fired Noem earlier this month following her testimony and appointed Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to replace her. Mullin must be approved by his Senate colleagues before taking over DHS and is scheduled to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
“Any assertion that Secretary Noem committed perjury is completely false,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in an email Monday.
Durbin and Raskin said Noem repeatedly falsely claimed that DHS was not violating court orders.
“Those statements were false. DHS repeatedly defied court orders to release individuals from ICE custody, even failing to release individuals for days or even weeks after the date of the court order,” they wrote.
It also said she made false claims about the bidding process for DHS contracts, the detention and conditions of detention of U.S. citizens in a $220 million television ad campaign.
Members of Congress and committees can make criminal referrals to the Department of Justice outlining evidence of suspected crimes. However, such communications do not compel the Justice Department to investigate.
“While we have low expectations that you will pursue this matter given the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice, we note that the statute of limitations for perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress is five years,” the lawmakers wrote.
