DHS defends McLaughlin after allegations husband's company profited millions from ad contracts: 'Baseless'
Who's accountable for the results?
EXCLUSIVE: Newly obtained financial statements shed light on claims that former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin’s husband’s company profited millions as a result of a DHS advertising campaign.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced intense questioning during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., specifically called out the agency for contracting a public relations firm headed by McLaughlin’s husband, Benjamin Yoho.
"I have personally reviewed the allegations against Ms. McLaughlin and I find them to be baseless," DHS General Counsel James Percival told Fox News Digital. "Nothing illegal or unethical occurred with respect to these contracts. Ms. McLaughlin was not involved in selecting any subcontractors.
"She is, however, a superstar in the public affairs world, so I am not surprised that she married a successful businessman whose services were attractive to these outside firms."
DHS DEFENDS AD BLITZ AMID SENATE SCRUTINY, SAYS CAMPAIGN DROVE 2.2M SELF-DEPORTATIONS AND SAVED TAXPAYERS $39B
Kennedy alleged that Yoho’s firm, The Strategy Group, "got most of the money" out of what the Louisiana Republican senator says was a $220 million in "television advertisements that feature [Noem] prominently."
"I'm sorry," Kennedy said. "Safe America Media was a company formed 11 days before you picked them. And that the Strategy Group got most of the money. And the head of that is married to your former spokesperson."
"It's just hard for me to believe knowing the president as I do, that you said, 'Mr. President, here's some ads I've cut and I'm going to spend $220 million running them that he would have agreed to that,'" Kennedy explained. "I don't think Russ Vought at OMB [Office of Management and Budget] would have agreed to that."
'YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!': PROTESTER DRAGGED FROM KRISTI NOEM'S SENATE HEARING
The Strategy Group is a conservative advertising agency in which Yoho serves as CEO.
Figures obtained by Fox News Digital show a slightly lesser total advertising expenditure of approximately $185 million, with a total of roughly $146.5 million going to a campaign called "Save America."
However, of the total that went to "Save America," roughly $348,000 went to production costs, while the remaining $142 million went to "media buys."
Sources at DHS say that media buys are the cost of actually buying the ads themselves, whether purchased from social media or for a TV ad.
Kennedy also alleged that the bidding process for the contracts never took place, and that Safe America Media’s recent …
Who's accountable for the results?
EXCLUSIVE: Newly obtained financial statements shed light on claims that former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin’s husband’s company profited millions as a result of a DHS advertising campaign.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced intense questioning during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., specifically called out the agency for contracting a public relations firm headed by McLaughlin’s husband, Benjamin Yoho.
"I have personally reviewed the allegations against Ms. McLaughlin and I find them to be baseless," DHS General Counsel James Percival told Fox News Digital. "Nothing illegal or unethical occurred with respect to these contracts. Ms. McLaughlin was not involved in selecting any subcontractors.
"She is, however, a superstar in the public affairs world, so I am not surprised that she married a successful businessman whose services were attractive to these outside firms."
DHS DEFENDS AD BLITZ AMID SENATE SCRUTINY, SAYS CAMPAIGN DROVE 2.2M SELF-DEPORTATIONS AND SAVED TAXPAYERS $39B
Kennedy alleged that Yoho’s firm, The Strategy Group, "got most of the money" out of what the Louisiana Republican senator says was a $220 million in "television advertisements that feature [Noem] prominently."
"I'm sorry," Kennedy said. "Safe America Media was a company formed 11 days before you picked them. And that the Strategy Group got most of the money. And the head of that is married to your former spokesperson."
"It's just hard for me to believe knowing the president as I do, that you said, 'Mr. President, here's some ads I've cut and I'm going to spend $220 million running them that he would have agreed to that,'" Kennedy explained. "I don't think Russ Vought at OMB [Office of Management and Budget] would have agreed to that."
'YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!': PROTESTER DRAGGED FROM KRISTI NOEM'S SENATE HEARING
The Strategy Group is a conservative advertising agency in which Yoho serves as CEO.
Figures obtained by Fox News Digital show a slightly lesser total advertising expenditure of approximately $185 million, with a total of roughly $146.5 million going to a campaign called "Save America."
However, of the total that went to "Save America," roughly $348,000 went to production costs, while the remaining $142 million went to "media buys."
Sources at DHS say that media buys are the cost of actually buying the ads themselves, whether purchased from social media or for a TV ad.
Kennedy also alleged that the bidding process for the contracts never took place, and that Safe America Media’s recent …
DHS defends McLaughlin after allegations husband's company profited millions from ad contracts: 'Baseless'
Who's accountable for the results?
EXCLUSIVE: Newly obtained financial statements shed light on claims that former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin’s husband’s company profited millions as a result of a DHS advertising campaign.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced intense questioning during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., specifically called out the agency for contracting a public relations firm headed by McLaughlin’s husband, Benjamin Yoho.
"I have personally reviewed the allegations against Ms. McLaughlin and I find them to be baseless," DHS General Counsel James Percival told Fox News Digital. "Nothing illegal or unethical occurred with respect to these contracts. Ms. McLaughlin was not involved in selecting any subcontractors.
"She is, however, a superstar in the public affairs world, so I am not surprised that she married a successful businessman whose services were attractive to these outside firms."
DHS DEFENDS AD BLITZ AMID SENATE SCRUTINY, SAYS CAMPAIGN DROVE 2.2M SELF-DEPORTATIONS AND SAVED TAXPAYERS $39B
Kennedy alleged that Yoho’s firm, The Strategy Group, "got most of the money" out of what the Louisiana Republican senator says was a $220 million in "television advertisements that feature [Noem] prominently."
"I'm sorry," Kennedy said. "Safe America Media was a company formed 11 days before you picked them. And that the Strategy Group got most of the money. And the head of that is married to your former spokesperson."
"It's just hard for me to believe knowing the president as I do, that you said, 'Mr. President, here's some ads I've cut and I'm going to spend $220 million running them that he would have agreed to that,'" Kennedy explained. "I don't think Russ Vought at OMB [Office of Management and Budget] would have agreed to that."
'YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!': PROTESTER DRAGGED FROM KRISTI NOEM'S SENATE HEARING
The Strategy Group is a conservative advertising agency in which Yoho serves as CEO.
Figures obtained by Fox News Digital show a slightly lesser total advertising expenditure of approximately $185 million, with a total of roughly $146.5 million going to a campaign called "Save America."
However, of the total that went to "Save America," roughly $348,000 went to production costs, while the remaining $142 million went to "media buys."
Sources at DHS say that media buys are the cost of actually buying the ads themselves, whether purchased from social media or for a TV ad.
Kennedy also alleged that the bidding process for the contracts never took place, and that Safe America Media’s recent …
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