'Absolutely' what happened: Kristi Noem pressed on ICE shooting comments
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was pressed during a contentious interview about her comments defending the immigration agent who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis last week.
Noem appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Jan. 11, a day after thousands of protesters turned out across the country to decry the shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Jonathan Ross.
CNN’s Jake Tapper pushed Noem repeatedly over her department’s statement published a little over two hours after the shooting, which defended the agent’s actions and accused Good of “domestic terrorism.”
Noem during the nearly 20-minute interview doubled down on her department's response, pointing to her conversations with law enforcement officials and video footage of the shooting when asked how she could reach a conclusion absent an official investigation.
“We all saw what happened,” Noem said after Tapper challenged her interpretation of the footage. “It absolutely is what happened.”
Videos of the incident, which took place near Good's Minneapolis home, have circulated widely online. They show multiple law enforcement officers approaching Good's SUV, which was stopped in the middle of a street. One officer attempts to open the driver's side door, as someone is heard saying, "Get out of the (expletive) car."
Good briefly reverses before driving forward, beginning to turn right. As the vehicle begins to move forward, another officer standing near the front driver's side draws his gun and fires multiple times.
Video analysis by USA TODAY shows Good's vehicle appeared to be turning away from the officer who fired on her. The agent fired three shots, one at the front windshield and two more through the open driver's side window as Good moves past. All shots appear to be fired after the agent is out of the way.
Top administration officials, including Noem, Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump , have accused Good of using her vehicle as a weapon and said the agent fired in self-defense. Federal law enforcement officials have said she was driving toward Ross, but at the moment the shots were fired, the wheels of Good's vehicle are turned to the right, angled away from the officer.
More: GoFundMe campaign for family of Renee Good closed at over $1.5 million
Local and state officials in Minneapolis have disputed the government’s description of the shooting, calling it “propaganda” and saying video shows the agent “recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying.”
More: Was ICE agent's use of force reckless? Experts analyze Minneapolis shooting.
Tapper pressed Noem on her characterization in the interview, during which she alleged Good attacked ICE officers. The department's Jan. 7 statement on social media also alleged Good attempted to kill officers with her vehicle.
“They were breaking the law by impeding and obstructing a law enforcement operation,” Noem said in response. “They were breaking the law already, and these officers were doing their due diligence with their training had prepared them to do to make sure they were handling it appropriately."
When asked to answer how she could be sure of the situation only a few hours after it occurred, Noem did not directly answer but said Good engaged in “domestic terrorism” by “weaponizing” her car.
“He defended himself,” Noem said of the officer who fatally shot Good three times at close range. “And he defended those individuals around him.”
Noem also told Tapper that she would "love to have the partnership" of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz , Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and the city's police chief, though state and city officials say they have been pushed out of investigations of the agent's deadly use of force. Noem previously said state officials didn't have jurisdiction in the case.
Some lawmakers called for Ross to be arrested. The officer was first identified in court documents .
Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @ KathrynPlmr . Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kristi Noem defends Minneapolis ICE shooting comments
