WATCH: Sen. Blumenthal asks Noem to protect ‘all Americans’ | Trump confirmation hearings

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Ct., asked homeland security secretary nominee Kristi Noem in a confirmation hearing Friday held by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs about domestic extremism and protecting Americans from racist and religious attacks.

Blumenthal mentioned the rise in antisemitic incidents in the past few years, including a white extremism rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 and a synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh in 2018.

“And I just want to make sure that when you say we're protecting Americans against terrorism that we're protecting all Americans, including people in mosques, in churches, in synagogues, people regardless of their worship, their race, their background,” Blumenthal said. “We need to protect all Americans from antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia. I hope you'll commit to that effort.”

“Yes, correct. Thank you, Senator, and I look forward to working with you to do that,” Noem responded.

Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota, is a rancher and a former member of Congress. A close ally to Trump, Noem has called migration across the U.S. southern border “an invasion.” If confirmed, Noem would play a key role in carrying out his promised immigration crackdown by leading the Department of Homeland Security, one of the largest federal agencies.

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