Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen brought a resignation letter with her at her meeting with President Trump Sunday afternoon, a meeting that ended with her being fired, Axios reported on Monday.
She did not enter the meeting planning to quit but was prepared to do so, according to “top sources” speaking with Axios.
The meeting reportedly went poorly to the point that Mr. Trump would not allow her to announce her departure herself.
Ms. Nielsen unsuccessfully attempted to submit her letter of resignation before the president tweeted she would “be leaving her position.”
“She was undercut at every turn. She’s done everything she can do. The White House is eating their own,” a source familiar with DHS told Axios.
Officials also said Ms. Nielsen “had been on the outs” with the administration for at least the past six months.
SEE ALSO: Kirstjen Nielsen resigns as Homeland Security secretary
Additionally, a Republican Senate aide said, “Nielsen leaving will make conservatives who were getting fed up with DHS happy” and “whoever replaces [her] will have one hell of a confirmation hearing.”
The New York Times also reported Ms. Nielsen had a bad working relationship with the president, adding Mr. Trump would ask her to do illegal things despite her “repeatedly noted the limitations imposed on her department by federal laws, court settlements and international obligations.”
Ms. Nielsen’s official resignation letter blamed Congress for no longer listening to her advocate for Mr. Trump’s agenda.
“I hope the next secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure Americans borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation’s discourse,” she wrote.
In the same thread, Mr. Trump announced his acting head of the department as U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, a well-liked, experienced border official.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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