Trump nominates White House aide Kirstjen Nielsen for next secretary of Homeland Security

She previously served under John Kelly, former head of the agency and current White House Chief of Staff 

Mythili Sampathkumar
New York
Thursday 12 October 2017 19:42 BST
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President Donald Trump speaks about nominating his deputy chief of staff, Kirstjen Nielsen, as his next secretary of Homeland Security on 12 October at the White House.
President Donald Trump speaks about nominating his deputy chief of staff, Kirstjen Nielsen, as his next secretary of Homeland Security on 12 October at the White House.

Donald Trump has officially nominated Kirstjen Nielsen as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Ms Nielsen currently serves as a deputy to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and was also his senior aide when he was leading DHS.

She will next need to be confirmed by the Senate.

Mr Trump said Ms Nielsen is the first employee of the agency to go on and lead it, should she be confirmed. A fact he expressed surprise about, adding that former agency employees should have been tasked to lead them more often.

He emphasised many times that the safety of the homeland was the main priority of the person in this position, "not politics or ideology."

It is "hard to imagine a more qualified candidate," Mr Trump said.

Ms Nielsen, a cybersecurity expert has been known as the "enforcer" in the White House according to CNN. She assured that Mr Kelly's rules were followed in what has been described a beleaguered and chaotic White House by insiders.

Political analysts have referred to Mr Kelly has the "adult in the room".

Mr Trump urged Senate "Republicans and Democrats to confirm" Ms Nielsen in "a strong bipartisan vote".

He said given the spate of hurricanes, the devastating wildfires in Napa Valley, California, and ongoing cybersecurity concerns in the country, Mr Trump said it is a "crucial time" to confirm a candidate who "is ready to lead day one".

Ms Nielsen said she "shares the President's profound commitment" to keeping the country safe and security, including its borders and cyber infrastructure.

She said she has some "truly big shoes to fill" in possibly replacing John Kelly, who she called the "epitome of selfless service".

The President praised Elaine Duke, the current Acting Secretary for the agency, for her efforts and said she will "make a great partner" for Ms Nielsen as she would resume her role as Deputy Secretary.

Ms Duke came under fire a few weeks ago when she said the federal government's relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico were "a good news story" and that she was "satisfied" with it.

San Juan Puerto Rico's mayor responded by saying "Damn it, this is not a good news story".

"Maybe from where she's standing it's a good news story, but when you're drinking from a creek, when you don't have food for a baby, it's not a good news story," a frustrated Ms Yulin Cruz said on CNN.

She said Ms Duke's remark was "irresponsible."

A date has not yet been set for Ms Nielsen's Senate confirmation hearing.

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