FOX News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reports on the factors that led to Kristi Noem’s firing as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday. “The quote that I was given was, it was a combination of her many unfortunate leadership failures, from Minnesota to the ad campaign to the allegations of an affair,” Heinrich reported. “You’ll recall in the aftermath of the ICE deportation campaign in Minnesota that took the lives of two protesters, there were a number of Republicans who called for her to step down.” “Minnesota, her handling of the fallout to the deaths in Minnesota of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the statements that she made in public, calling them domestic terrorists before some of the facts had come in and her handling of that scenario, the ad campaign, the $ 200 million that featured her on horseback at Mount Rushmore and claiming that the President signed off on it when he had not, and also the allegations of an affair with Corey Lewandowski,” Heinrich later said.

JACQUI HEINRICH, FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We just saw the first statement from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. It says, “Thank you President Trump for appointing me as the special envoy for the Shield of the Americas. Secretary Rubio and Secretary of War are incredible leaders. I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren. It goes on to say that we have made historic accomplishments, the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again. We delivered the most secure border in American history.” And goes on to sort of tout her accomplishments. I’ve been asking officials here about what went into the President’s thinking, because sometimes we see these rumors that he’s unhappy with an official in his cabinet and then stands by them. But it sounds like from people close to him, very close to him, who can speak to his thinking, the quote that I was given was, it was a combination of her many unfortunate leadership failures, from Minnesota to the ad campaign to the allegations of an affair. You’ll recall in the aftermath of the ICE deportation campaign in Minnesota that took the lives of two protesters, there were a number of Republicans who called for her to step down, among them Tom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, others called for investigations and heavily criticized her, including Bill Cassidy, Pete Ricketts, Susan Collins, Ted Cruz, Ted Young, Mike Crapo, Jerry Moran. John Kennedy also told me on the Sunday briefing he was very happy that the President had elevated Tom Homan to take a lead in Minnesota and that he had let the President know that. So there was a pressure campaign on the President as this DHS funding has been stalled in Congress, that there has been a problem at the top, and it’s not just criticism from Democrats that he was hearing and seeing in the press. This ad campaign, though, seems to have really tipped the President over the edge. The Secretary of State was questioned about the $ 200 million in advertising that she authorized that featured her prominently on horseback at Mount Rushmore. It was an ad campaign about border security, and she told Congress that the President approved of that campaign, even though apparently he did not. You want to listen to that soundbite here? REPORTER: What was your first reaction to just the news that you were nominated for this position, just the news and everything, and that’s happened? SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): So humbling, because I had to call my dad, and I mean, because it happened quick, right? I had to call my wife, call my dad both, and it’s just, you know, pretty humbling when you start thinking about it. A little kid from Westville, Oklahoma gets to serve in the President’s Cabinet. That’s pretty neat. So thank you, guys. HEINRICH: That wasn’t the soundbite we were looking for. We were looking for the testimony that apparently really upset the President, where Noam said, yes, we went through the legal process and did it correctly when asked if the President authorized and approved that $ 200 million in spending. He did not. He said that he was not aware of this campaign, certainly did not authorize it. And then there were also these rumors of an affair with Corey Lewandowski, a special government employee who was serving as an adviser. He is also married, and reports floating in the last several weeks that Noam had sought to appoint Lewandowski as her chief of staff, but the President blocked that decision amid these rumors of an affair. So the combination of those factors that tipped the President’s decision to elevate Mark Wayne Mullen into this position and get him confirmed. MARTHA MACCALLUM, FOX NEWS HOST: Yeah, that’s very interesting, Jacqui, because, you know, the person that you’re citing, the source that you’re citing, and just tick off for us again, the three things that they told you went into this decision, because that’s not really a soft pedal the way that it was described to you. Can you go through those again one more time? HEINRICH: Minnesota, her handling of the fallout to the deaths in Minnesota of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the statements that she made in public, calling them domestic terrorists before some of the facts had come in and her handling of that scenario, the ad campaign, the $ 200 million that featured her on horseback at Mount Rushmore and claiming that the President signed off on it when he had not, and also the allegations of an affair with Corey Lewandowski. This person close to the President described these three things as a combination of her many unfortunate leadership failures. So less a decision to move her into a new role than to get her out of the one she had been serving in. MACCALLUM: Yeah, many unfortunate leadership errors. Strong language from a source close to the President that Jacqui is reporting right now, so this is a much harder line in terms of what unfolded here. Jacqui, thank you very much. Jacqui Heinrich reporting from the White House.

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