Democrats are making a last-ditch effort to persuade Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and in turn the White House, not to confirm a U.S. Coast Guard commander promotion due to past whistleblower complaints.
Mullin, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma who took over as secretary after his embattled predecessor Kristi Noem was relieved of her duties in March, is being requested by four Democratic senators to reconsider the promotion to captain of Coast Guard Lt. Cdr. Jesse Millard. A previous independent investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) found that Millard engaged in whistleblower retaliation against a subordinate, in addition to other accusations including violating the Military Whistleblower Protection Act.
Millard’s nomination has garnered just enough support to remain viable. Last month, the Senate Commerce Committee on a party-line 15-13 vote approved his nomination to continue.
While DHS has no formal role in OK’ing the nomination and moving it forward for final Senate approval, it could as a practical matter dissuade the White House—which has previously offered its support toward Millard—from endorsing the promotion and, in effect, pull the nomination.
The four Democrats who signed the April 28 letter are Sens. Maria Cantwell (WA), ranking member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; Tammy Baldwin (WI); Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries; and Ron Wyden (OR), co-chair of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus.
They used Mullin’s own words from his March 18 nomination hearing, when he said that there are “laws in place to protect whistleblowers and I have said multiple times I will work within the law.” He also testified that, if faced with allegations of whistleblower retaliation under your leadership, “I’m going to work within the law and that’s [whistleblower retaliation] unlawful.”
“We agree, which is why Commander Millard’s promotion is particularly concerning. … Given your testimony supporting whistleblower protection laws, we do not believe you would support advancing Commander Millard’s promotion now that you oversee the Coast Guard as the Secretary of DHS,” the letter reads.
The letter also states that between fiscal years 2019 and 2025, the DHS OIG validated only 11 out of more than 3,100 whistleblower retaliation complaints it received. One of those 11 was Millard, with former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen accepted the DHS OIG’s findings and determined that corrective action was warranted.”
Military.com reached out for comment to DHS, the White House and the office representing Republican Commerce Committee members. A White House spokesperson deferred comment to DHS due to the senators’ letter being directly addressed to Mullin.
Past Whistleblowers Speak Out
A letter from a whistleblower written March 2, 2026, and provided to all members of the Senate Commerce Committee prior to a markup session strongly discouraged Millard’s promotion, citing the OIG investigation and violating the Military Whistleblower Protection Act—claiming that if Millard were to be promoted, it would “perpetuate a pattern of institutional failure that Congress has already rightfully and strongly condemned.”
That whistleblower, who spoke with Military.com on the condition of anonymity, said the following: “I had deep relationships with much of the senior flag leadership of the CG before during, and after the whistleblowing.”
On March 22, 2026, that individual was backed by myriad Coast Guard whistleblowers, survivors, Coast Guard Academy alumni, advocates, veterans and national advocacy organizations that wrote a letter to the members of the U.S. Senate “urging” them not to promote Millard to captain.
“This nomination does not exist in isolation,” reads the letter shared with Military.com. “It comes after decades of documented failures within the Coast Guard to address misconduct, protect victims, and hold leaders accountable.
“Over the decades and in recent years, survivors, whistleblowers and bipartisan members of Congress have worked to expose and reform this broken system—from concealed internal investigations to Operation Fouled Anchor to multiple congressional inquiries confirming patterns of retaliation and impunity.”
The six-page letter adds that any “attempt to erase even the smallest measure of accountability in this case is not an anomaly—it is part and parcel of the very system those reforms were meant to change.”
Operation Fouled Anchor is a reference to the Coast Guard Investigative Service looking into more than 100 separate allegations of sexual assault that occurred between 1990 and 2006 at the Coast Guard Academy.
Sen. Baldwin said during last month’s Senate Commerce Committee vote that Operation Fouled Anchor “revealed a Coast Guard culture that tolerated and protected abuse for years,” adding that a Millard promotion would signal “a step in the wrong direction” following efforts the past two decades to increase transparency and accountability.
“Secretary Mullin said he would follow the law and protect whistleblowers,” Baldwin told Military.com on Tuesday. “Now is the time for him to prove it.
“An independent watchdog found that Commander Millard retaliated against a whistleblower—a gravely serious offense—and under no circumstances should this administration turn a blind eye to that and give him a promotion.”
GOP Sticks with Millard
Even as Democrats have pushed back on the Millard nomination, Republicans who hold the majority in the Senate have defended his character and pushed forward to keep the promotion on track.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), following the vote last month, called Millard a career service member undertaking “a modest promotion to captain,” saying Democrats “would have effectively killed this man’s career and tarnished his reputation” if they succeeded in voting down the promotion. Cruz is chair of the Senate Commerce Committee.
“Capt. Millard has done nothing wrong other than obey orders and display honesty and integrity,” Cruz said, according to recordings obtained at the time by Military.com. “This case stems from the accusations against Mr. Millard’s superior by a serial complainant. The complainant in question filed repeated unsubstantiated accusations of discrimination and other charges against multiple senior officers.”
This is actually the second nomination process for Millard, albeit with a different Congress. He was first nominated for promotion to captain in November 2023 though later had that pulled on March 7, 2024.
If the current nomination process hypothetically stalled and no decision was made by Congress before it adjourns at year’s end, it would theoretically result in the requirement of a new nomination process from scratch. That is, if legislators had the appetite to go through it all again.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) could also tuck Millard into a broader package of nominations if he sensed a lack of legislators’ support when deciding on military promotions and nominations. At press time sources told Military.com that hadn’t yet transpired or been part of discussions.
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