Kristi Noem’s future as Homeland Security secretary is in peril as House Republicans turn against her over her ham-fisted response to the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Axios reports that dozens of GOP lawmakers have raised concerns about the killing of the 37-year-old ICU nurse by federal agents, and Noem’s handling of the shooting has proved to be the final straw for many Republicans already frustrated with her performance at DHS.
The bipartisan anger toward Noem—dubbed “ICE Barbie” for her love of paramilitary cosplay—could even lead to impeachment proceedings against her. More than 160 House Democrats have already backed filing articles of impeachment, amounting to more than three-quarters of the party caucus in the lower chamber.
Democratic Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly, who is spearheading the effort, plans to contact Republican offices to persuade them to support the impeachment push, her spokesperson told Axios.
Noem has been widely condemned for immediately suggesting that Pretti was a “domestic terrorist” who wanted to attack federal agents before he was shot and killed on Jan. 24. She also falsely claimed that Pretti brandished a firearm before his death, even as video evidence contradicted those assertions.
Footage filmed by bystanders shows that Pretti never attempted to attack law enforcement and had been disarmed of a concealed handgun he was legally allowed to carry before he was shot multiple times.
A preliminary report from Customs and Border Protection’s internal investigation also makes no mention of Noem’s claim that Pretti attacked officers or brandished a gun.
Noem and other Trump administration officials, including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, were previously condemned for pushing a misleading narrative about the events leading up to the shooting of Minneapolis woman Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Good on Jan. 7.
On Tuesday, GOP Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and New York’s Thomas Suozzi sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting a meeting to address the public’s growing “rejection” of the administration’s hardline immigration efforts.
“The tragedy in Minneapolis and the looming federal government shutdown demand that Congress and the White House—Democrats and Republicans—finally work together to address the immigration and border security issues that have festered for too long,” the co-chairs of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus wrote.
New York Rep. Mike Lawler has also urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents to “reassess their current tactics” following the shootings of Good and Pretti.
“DHS enforces the laws Congress passes, period. If certain members don’t like those laws, changing them is literally their job,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Axios.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina are the only GOP lawmakers to publicly call for Noem to be fired over her response to Pretti’s killing.
Trump has defended Noem amid questions about her future. “I think she’s doing a very good job,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “The border is totally secure.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
