U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, referred Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to the Department of Justice for a potential perjury investigation following her testimony before Congress on March 3 and 4.
The referral is significant because it involves allegations that a cabinet-level official may have provided false statements under oath during congressional oversight hearings. The Senate Judiciary Committee plays a key role in upholding constitutional protections and public safety nationwide through its legislative and oversight duties, according to the official website.
In their letter to Attorney General Bondi, Durbin and Raskin wrote: “We write to refer evidence showing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem repeatedly misled the Senate Committee on the Judiciary during her testimony on March 3, 2026, and the House Committee on the Judiciary during her testimony on March 4, 2026. A number of her statements appear to violate criminal statutes prohibiting perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress.”
The letter cited four categories of statements from Noem’s hearings as grounds for an investigation into whether she knowingly made false statements regarding court order compliance by DHS, contracting practices, detaining U.S. citizens, and detention conditions. The Ranking Members continued: “After months of evading our Committees’ requests to testify in routine oversight hearings, Secretary Noem made a series of demonstrably false statements in a brazen attempt to undermine critical congressional oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee serves as a standing committee with authority over judicial and legal matters in the United States Senate according to its official website. It is led by a chair who oversees meetings and includes senators from both major political parties according to its official website. The committee also influences civil rights issues through its legislative responsibilities according to its official website.
Durbin and Raskin concluded their letter: “Making false statements to Congress, and making false statements under oath, are federal crimes. The examples above highlight Secretary Noem’s false and misleading testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3, 2026, and the House Judiciary Committee on March 4, 2026. We accordingly refer this matter to the Department of Justice to determine if her testimony warrants investigation under 18 U.S.C. §§1001 and §1621. While we have low expectations that you will pursue this matter given your partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice, we note that the statute of limitations for perjury and for knowingly and willfully making false statements to Congress is five years.”
The outcome of this referral could affect future congressional oversight efforts involving executive branch officials.
