Department of Homeland Security leader Markwayne Mullin is desperately trying to get his wife, Christie Mullin, hired onto DHS's payroll, four insiders have told the Daily Mail.

Mullin, 48, is accused of trying to obtain government employee status for his wife, 47, so that he does not have to pay for her airline ticket when she flies, according to sources familiar with DHS and ICE. 

The secretary frequently travels on his $70 million government jet to fly home to his family in Oklahoma, often leaving on Thursday mornings and not returning until the following Monday afternoon, multiple DHS insiders said. 

Mullin even flew from a Washington, DC, airport just hours after the attempt on President Donald Trump's life at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in April, despite heightened security concerns.

'Mullin seems to think DHS requires less work than a senator, and it shows. Meanwhile, ICE has no direction,' one source told the Daily Mail. 

Three people with direct knowledge also revealed that Mullin is reportedly inquiring about a Special Government Employee (SGE) designation, or contracting role, for his spouse.

As an SGE, his wife could work for the federal government as a temporary employee, advisor, or consultant, serving up to 130 days a year.

The role would be hourly, according to people familiar with the role, around $65 to $70 an hour.

Mullin's wife is the 'chair of rural policy' currently at the America First Policy Institute -a non-profit, non-partisan research institute. 

The couple, married for 28 years, share six children. They own a 1,600 sprawling ranch near the Ozarks.

'He pitches the idea on the regular,' another source familiar with conversations about his wife explains. 'While Mullin is busy trying to recruit his wife to DHS, ICE facilities are being overrun by leftist mobs, enraging the base ahead of midterms.'

Mullin is facing a fierce internal mutiny from tight-lipped staff who claim he is completely 'checked out' from the high-stakes role he has only been in for roughly two months. 

He was tapped by Trump for the DHS leadership role vacated by Kristi Noem after she was fired by the president in March after blistering congressional backlash over her travel and spending.

The allegations come as flight logs obtained by the Daily Mail expose a pattern of frequent, lavish travel back to his home state of Oklahoma on a $70 million private government jet - even as his department faces intense scrutiny over a terrifying security failure.

The night of the high-profile White House Correspondents' Dinner, Mullin stood closely behind the president as cabinet members took turns briefing the press. 

Taking his turn at the podium, Mullin publicly praised Trump's demeanor in the wake of a shocking alleged assassination attempt against the President at the Hilton hotel.

Mullin lauded Trump for being 'so calm, completely composed' while they sat in the holding room, adding that First Lady Melania Trump was similarly 'cool as a cucumber.'

But behind the scenes, Mullin was already preparing to make a swift exit from the capital.

It turns out, shortly after a briefing that left the public with no answers regarding the gunman's motive or the haunting possibility of a second shooter, Mullin fled Washington on his private jet, the Daily Mail can exclusively report.

The abrupt departure has raised serious questions about his leadership during one of the gravest security breaches in modern American history.

As the head of the agency that includes the Secret Service, Mullin is responsible for demanding accountability and dissecting what was condemned as an operational failure.

Instead, while the nation reeled from the security lapse and desperate questions remained unanswered, Mullin was already wheels up.

Flight logs show Mullin's DHS government jet - a luxury Gulfstream G700 passed down to him from his predecessor - took off late that night, immediately following the press briefing. The $70 million aircraft flew straight to Tulsa, touching down at Tulsa International Airport at approximately 2:31 am.

The ultra-luxury plane was a primary catalyst for the downfall of Noem, who was let go by Trump in March 2026 after several personal and professional scandals, including the use of the luxury aircraft for 'deportations.'

When questioned by Congress, Noem had aggressively defended the plane lease, claiming the aircraft - complete with a queen bed, showers and a fully stocked bar - was required by law and intended for long-range ICE deportation flights. She was fired the next day. 

Three sources familiar with the matter say ICE thought the plan to purchase the jet would be scrapped once the former secretary left the department; however, the White House still pushed ahead with purchasing the jet using ICE funds.

They bought not only Noem's two luxury Gulfstream jets, but seven other planes as well. 

Two long-range business jets, the Gulfstream G650ERs, one Boeing 737-800 jet and four more 737s for deportation flights.

'Mullin was one of the people complaining when Noem ordered the new planes. But they bought all the planes that Noem recommended. No complaints all of a sudden,' one of the sources detailed.

The Inspector General is looking into the contracts for these planes.

DHS says they are assessing all their resources, including aircraft, to 'maximize efficiency.'

The late-night flight comes at a highly sensitive time for the DHS chief.

Mullin has repeatedly defended the Secret Service's response to the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, insisting that agents 'performed their job' by preventing the gunman from breaching the second security perimeter.

Flight logs reveal his grand escape is far from an isolated incident.

Data shows Mullin flew home to Oklahoma almost every weekend during the government shutdown, on his taxpayer-funded jet.

'Silence from Mullin. It has been that way for a couple of months now, and we don't know why,' a source familiar with the internal workings of DHS told the Daily Mail. 'He leaves on Thursdays a lot at 11 in the morning and doesn't fly back until Monday afternoon. He is barely in the building.'

A DHS spokesperson pushed back on these claims - saying Mullin has never left DHS on a Thursday and 'works around the clock, even on weekends.' 

Mullin's family reportedly lives on a ranch in Oklahoma. The couple has six younger kids together who all live back home. The eldest is Jim, and the other kids are named Jayce, Andrew, Larra, Lynette and Ivy.

Now, four separate sources familiar with the matter have told the Daily Mail about the growing whispers among internal staff regarding Mullin's detached behavior, with many openly questioning whether he is actually up for the grueling job. 

Mullin's frequent 'long weekends' away from the critical department he was tapped to lead have triggered a vacuum of oversight at the agency, fueling a severe lack of confidence among the rank-and-file staff left behind to manage the ongoing border and security crises, sources explain.

Both DHS and ICE have been plagued by a lack of permanent leadership and shifting enforcement priorities, which have compounded staff frustrations, the Daily Mail previously reported.

The frustration within the agency is reaching a boiling point, particularly as rumors swirl that Mullin is looking out for his own interests above the department's mission.

Summing up the bitter mood inside the agency's Washington headquarters, one insider sarcastically quipped: 'Let's just call this the Department of Oklahoma.'

The Daily Mail reached out to DHS and ICE regarding the flight logs and internal allegations.

A DHS spokesperson pushed back on Mullin's travel, saying he would 'always pay for his wife's travel on the plane' and that he 'abides by all ethics requirements.'

'The Secretary is completely engaged. He is deeply involved in all aspects of DHS from securing our border, arresting illegal aliens, ensuring FEMA is ready for Hurricane season, and helping prepare for the FIFA world cup,' a DHS spokesperson said.

'Secretary Mullin is very engaged with the work they do on a daily basis and works closely with the President's entire team to make sure his agenda is being enacted,' White House Border Czar Tom Homan tells the Daily Mail in response to the story.