Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has finally agreed to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee as pressure intensifies following the brutal death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti at the hands of a federal agent.
Pretti, 37, was shot and killed in public by a masked federal agent in Minneapolis on Saturday. Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7 in the same area.
The DHS claimed the agent shot Pretti in self-defense. Noem said Pretti “had a weapon on him, and multiple—dozens—of rounds of ammunition; wishing to inflict harm on these officers, coming, brandishing like that.”
Republicans, including Senate Chair Chuck Grassley, have been trying to get Noem to front the Judiciary Committee for months. While Noem’s testimony is not directly related to the incidents in Minneapolis, it seems the backlash to the brutal death of Pretti has expedited her appearance. It’s also likely the events will take center stage.
The 54-year-old has been under particular scrutiny after labelling Pretti and Good "domestic terrorists" after their deaths at the hands of federal agents, without providing evidence to support her claims. The Senate Judiciary Committee has the power to investigate federal officials and law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DOJ and DHS.
The conservative Washington Examiner reported on Monday that DHS’s Office of Legislative Affairs has agreed that Noem will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Grassley’s office confirmed to the Daily Beast on Monday that Noem is expected to testify on March 3 for one round of questioning, with each senator allotted 10 minutes for questions. The senator’s staff have “been in communication with DHS for months seeking to finalize a date” for the oversight hearing, Grassley’s office said.
Grassley, 92, said Noem previously wanted to limit her time under examination to just 5 minutes.
“She’s willing to come, but she wanted to limit it to one five-minute round, and we won’t stand for that,” Grassley told the Examiner earlier this month, noting Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel both signed off on 10 minutes of questioning.
The Daily Beast has contacted the DHS for comment.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is also a member of the committee, has called for an independent investigation into the death of Pretti. He placed a hold on confirming DHS nominees earlier this month, blaming Noem’s delay in her testimony.
The top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin, hinted at reports that Noem’s job is not secure.
“Secretary Noem refused to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year and now tells us that she will be available in five weeks—should she still be DHS [Department of Homeland Security] Secretary at that time,” Durbin said in a statement on his X account.
He added, “With all of the violence and deaths involving DHS, the Secretary is apparently in no hurry to account for her mismanagement of this national crisis. And she expects us to rubber stamp her record-breaking budget in the meantime.”
Bill Melugin, congressional correspondent for Fox News, said in a post on X on Sunday that he had spoken to over half a dozen federal sources in immigration enforcement, including several in senior positions, about their disappointment with handling of the fatal shooting by the DHS.
Melugin said one of his sources claimed DHS’s response to the tragedy is “making the situation worse,” while another said “we are losing this war, we are losing the base and the narrative.”
The Examiner reported on Monday that Noem’s offsider Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol’s commander of at-large operations, has been removed from his role overseeing ICE in Minneapolis after the death of Pretti.
He will return to heading Border Patrol operations in El Centro, California from Tuesday.
The Daily Beast exclusively reported on Monday that Donald Trump sent his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minneapolis after his senior leadership team blamed Noem’s incompetence for the public backlash to a second U.S. citizen being killed by a federal agent this month.
Noem tried to control the narrative and put a spin on Homan being parachuted into Minneapolis to help control protests around ICE raids.
“This is good news for peace, safety, and accountability in Minneapolis. I have worked closely with Tom over the last year and he has been a major asset to our team,” Noem posted on X.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted Homan was being deployed to Minneapolis merely as Noem was too busy with other duties.
“Secretary Noem still has the utmost confidence and trust of the president of the United States, and she is continuing to oversee the entire Department of Homeland Security and all of the immigration enforcement that’s taking place across the entire country,” Leavitt said.
