Noem declines to retract 'terrorism' comments about Alex Pretti during Senate hearing
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem faced questions about immigration enforcement operations as she testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday -- refusing to apologize for or retract her statements about a U.S. citizen shot and killed by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis earlier this year.
When pressed by Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, about why Noem labeled Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis in January, a domestic terrorist without evidence, she would not admit she was wrong.
"We are working in those situations where there's a tragic loss of life and that there is something that our agents are involved in, that we continue to deliver information," she said.
Durbin then asked, "Is it so hard to say you were wrong?"
"I absolutely strive to provide factual information and will continue to do that," Noem responded, adding that when the agency fails, they admit wrongdoing. Noem has yet to admit she has been wrong about how she characterized the Pretti shooting, as some have suggested.
Noem also said her characterization of Pretti -- whose conduct she called "the definition of domestic terrorism" without evidence -- was based on information relayed to her in the hours after the incident.
Noem drew criticism for insinuating Pretti, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs hospital, wanted to "massacre" law enforcement before the evidence and investigation was complete. Pretti was licensed to carry a handgun. Video from multiple angles showed that Pretti did not try to draw his gun from his waistband before or during the scuffle with federal agents.
Tuesday's hearing marks the first time Noem is appearing before Congress after tensions in Minneapolis and the killing of Pretti as well as Renee Good, who was shot and killed by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis in January.
Two Senate Republicans have said Noem should be out of a job, and Democrats have called for her impeachment. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he stands by Noem.
One of those Republicans who called for Noem's resignation was Sen. Thom Tillis, who ripped into Noem in a roughly 10-minute tirade.
Tillis, who is retiring at the end of his term, called DHS a "disaster" and "failure" under her leadership. He said the agency's immigration enforcement efforts were too focused on number, leading to the arrests of innocent U.S. citizens.
"We just want numbers. We want 1,000 a day, 6,000 a day, 9,000 a day. Because numbers matter, right? No, they don't matter. Quality matters, not quantity. Quality. And what we've seen is a disaster under your leadership, Miss Noem, a disaster," Tillis said. "What we've seen is innocent people getting detained that turn out are American citizens."
Tillis only let Noem respond once as he criticized her handling of federal emergency funds, ICE efforts in Minneapolis and other topics.
"I’m giving you a performance evaluation here -- I’m not looking for a response,” said Tillis. "And I'm saying, Miss Noem, that time after time after time, I’ve been disappointed."
Also during Tuesday's hearing, Noem said that there are no plans to deploy agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the polling places in November after President Donald Trump recently doubled down on his controversial suggestion that Republicans "nationalize" elections, saying the "federal government should get involved" in elections.
"We have no plans to have ICE officers or law enforcement at polling locations. States are responsible for running their elections, and we're giving them tools and mitigation efforts that they can utilize in order to make sure they maintain the integrity of those elections, and that individuals can trust their systems to ensure that their vote counts," Noem said.
Noem's appearance on Tuesday marks the first of two days she is set to testify on Capitol Hill. She will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Her testimony comes as some parts of Noem's agency -- from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Transportation Security Administration to the Coast Guard -- are shut down amid a funding fight over Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democrats have said they will fund the department only if changes are made to the agency in the wake of the shooting deaths of Good and Pretti.
