Rep. Seth Moulton slammed Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen and called for her to resign during a Monday interview on Greater Boston, blaming her for the death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in the custody of U.S. Border Patrol.
“It’s very clear that this president and his secretary of homeland security have set a tone where it’s okay to just let a girl like that die,” Moulton said.
According to the Washington Post, Jakelin Caal died of dehydration and shock shortly after she and her father were taken into U.S. custody on Dec. 6. The two had been traveling with a group of migrants on the U.S.- New Mexico border when she became ill. She died "less than 24 hours after being transported" by helicopter to a hospital in El Paso, Texas, the Post reported.
Read more: Family Of Migrant Girl Disputes Official Story On Her Death
Both the Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol have rejected the notion they are responsible for her death. But the Salem Democrat doesn’t see it that way.
“Leadership starts at the top, accountability has to stop at the top and that's why this is the second time I've called for her to resign,” he told Jim Braude.
Moulton first called on Nielsen to resign during the summer amid an outcry over the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their families attempting to illegally enter the country.
Taking a jab at recent departures from the White House, Moulton added, “What's amazing is that I've been able to call on her to resign twice. I picked a good target because she's one of the only cabinet officials who's actually still there and actually could resign because they haven't resigned on their own.”
Moulton also addressed the topics of presidential impeachment and his role in a resolution that all but paves the path for Rep. Nancy Pelosi to reclaim the Speaker’s gavel next month.
“The fact that we got term limits passed for the first time … This is really significant, and it shows that we can have this tough debate as a party. We're strong enough to have this debate, and then to move forward and be unified so that we can take on Trump,” said Moulton.
The Salem Democrat, seen by many as the leader of an anti-Pelosi faction of House Democrats, last week agreed to back the California Democrat as part of a deal that included term limits for their party’s top legislative leadership posts.
Read more: Stymied In His Anti-Pelosi Quest, Seth Moulton Declares Victory Nonetheless
On impeachment, Moulton emphasized that he supports the idea of beginning discussions in the House, but that he’d like to wait until the special counsel’s report is complete before formally taking up the issue.
Pressed further by Braude, who listed the legal challenges facing Trump and his administration, Moulton said. “Based on what I have heard, I think there’s an awful lot there that is in the realm of impeachable offenses. And that’s why we should have this debate before the Congress.”
