Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has been cornered on the use of the term “domestic terrorist” to describe a nurse killed by ICE.
For the second day running on Fox, first on Fox News and later on Fox Business, ICE Barbie Kristi Noem’s underling was confronted with the language her boss used to describe Alex Pretti just hours after he was shot dead by goons from the agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, over the weekend.
Her first grilling came from Dana Perino on Tuesday, and now Stuart Varney has asked her where she stands on the language.
“Secretary Noem accused Alex Pretti of being a domestic terrorist. Is the administration standing by that language?” he asked the 31-year-old on Fox Business live on Wednesday.
She immediately launched into a rambling answer about an investigation into the 37-year-old’s killing, which came as Minnesotans protested against the killing of another local, Renee Good, earlier this month.
“So, initial statements were made after reports from CBP on the ground. It was a very chaotic scene. We know that our ICE law enforcement are facing rampant threats of violence against them, a violent campaign, so that is why this investigation is so important, so that we can get accurate facts to the American people,” she spluttered.
Varney, ignoring her word salad, asked McLaughlin, “Would you use that expression again?”
Again, she refused to definitively answer. “I think we have to really have the investigation be leading the way on this, Stuart,” she said. “And again, the early statements that were released was based on a chaotic scene on the ground and we really need to have true, accurate information to come to light, and so, again, Homeland Security investigators are leading that with the FBI supporting.”
That was the extent of the pushing from the British-American host, and he moved on. It follows his network colleague Dana Perino grilling McLaughlin on the same subject the day before.
After an elongated rant similar to that of her Fox Business appearance, Perino immediately countered, “But, are you standing by calling him a domestic terrorist?”
McLaughlin side-stepped a second time. “OK, then I guess it stands,” Perino said, giving up and moving on.
Trump, meanwhile, appears to have walked back slightly on some of his administration’s language regarding Pretti, who was armed when he was killed, but did not draw his weapon. He said he had a productive conversation with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, adding that the pair “actually” seem to be on the same page.
It comes as things are getting ugly behind the scenes. A war of words has reportedly erupted over whose decision it was to use such inflammatory language about Pretti.
Kristi Noem is blaming White House adviser Stephen Miller, according to Axios. Miller is blaming Border Patrol. And Border Patrol is pointing the finger at ICE.
Trump, however, appears to be blaming the Border Patrol “commander-at-large” Greg Bovino, whom he has pulled from Minnesota and replaced with the more experienced and more taciturn border czar Tom Homan.
This drama, it appears, places McLaughlin, the de facto spokesperson of the schism, between a rock and a hard place.
