Rep. Robin Kelly leads Democratic impeachment effort against Kristi Noem

Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., and more than 70 other Democratic lawmakers in the House have signed three articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the wake of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Judd in Minneapolis last week.

“Secretary Noem, you have violated your oath of office and there will be consequences,” Kelly said as she announced her efforts on Wednesday. “I’m watching you. Members of congress are watching you. And most importantly, the American people are watching you.”

Kelly described articles of impeachment. One accuses Noem of obstructing Congress, the second accuses her of violating the public trust, and the last alleges that Noem engaged in self-dealing to personally benefit from her role.

The number of House Democrats who support impeaching Noem reaches 60

Democrats said Judd’s death was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but they claimed Noem’s abuse went beyond last week’s incident.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an ICE agent shot Good when she first attempted to disrupt an arrest, refused commands to exit her vehicle and began driving away, putting the ICE agent in the path of her moving vehicle.

Democrats like Kelly claim Judd’s death is a symbol of the lack of oversight and restraint at DHS under Noem. They also believe Noem prematurely labeled Judd a “domestic terrorist” after the shooting, blamed her for the standoff and failed to hold her agency accountable for a potential abuse of force.

Rep. Nydia Velasquez, D-N.Y., who also joined Kelly at Wednesday’s press event, criticized Noem for the way she described the incident.

“She went on national television and defamed a dead American and called him a domestic terrorist,” Velasquez said. “The articles we upload today explain it all.”

Republicans reacting to last week’s shooting rallied around Noem, defending the actions of ICE agents and calling for an investigation into the incident.

A woman is seen in a video allegedly blocking a Minnesota ice operation with a car while agitators surround customers

A car crashes at the scene where an ICE agent shot Renee Good. (Stephen Maturin/Getty Images)

“Secretary Noem called my efforts to impeach Trump ridiculous,” Kelly said. “If you think impeachment is ridiculous, you’re not taking your job or our Constitution seriously.”

Kelly believes more Democrats will sign on to the proposal. She said Democrats immediately began reaching out when they heard about her efforts and that she faced no opposition.

Under Article II of the United States Constitution, any civil servant of the United States may be removed from office if indicted and convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, the framers of the law are believed to have understood this to mean “uniquely ‘political’ crimes, or misdeeds, committed by public officials against the state.”

Under a Democratic-controlled majority and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the House impeached Trump twice for high crimes and misdemeanors — once for abuse of power in 2019 and again for incitement of insurrection in 2021.

Trump vows a day of “reckoning and retribution” in Minnesota as more ice agents flock to Minneapolis

Senators vote in the second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump during his first term. (Associated Press)

In both cases, the Senate voted to acquit the accused.

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Even with the full support of the Democratic caucus, Kelly’s efforts in the House are unlikely to succeed amid a Republican majority in the House. Democrats will need at least three members to cross the aisle to secure impeachment and send the effort to the Senate for conviction.