Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters Wednesday he will “have to accept” if President Trump purges leadership at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“I know the president’s goals on immigration are the same as mine, pretty much the same as mine I would say, and that the president’s gotta have people in place who will do his job, and since his goals are the same as mine I’m gonna have to accept it,” Grassley said, according to CNN.
{mosads}In the wake of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation Sunday, Trump has reportedly given more policy influence to adviser Stephen Miller, who, with an eye on more hardline immigration policies, is reportedly pushing to also oust Lee Cissna, head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Kathy Nuebel Kovarik, head of policy and strategy at USCIS. Both are former Grassley staffers.
Earlier this week, Grassley expressed concern over the reports.
“I know Cissna well. I know Kathy Kovarik well. They’re qualified people. They are good for the president,” the Iowa Republican said at the time. “I heard that they were going to be dismissed, and that irritates me.”
On Wednesday, Grassley said he thinks the White House is seriously considering Cissna’s dismissal.
“I don’t know whether I’ll be satisfied or not when it’s all done, but I’m beyond the point of considering whether or not I’m going to be satisfied,” he said, CNN reported.
Grassley told reporters in a separate conversation he had been told Cissna would remain at DHS in some capacity.