Donald Trump just called two Republican senators “losers” for demanding he fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her role in smearing a man killed by federal immigration agents.
Speaking to ABC News, the 79-year-old lashed out at Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who have both called for Noem’s ouster following her disastrous handling of Alex Pretti’s death in Minneapolis.
“They’re terrible senators. One is gone, and the other should be gone,” Trump fumed. “What Murkowski says—she’s always against the Republicans anyway. And Tillis decided to drop out. So, you know, he lost his voice once he did that.”
WHAT’S GOING ON: Noem has faced widespread criticism for immediately attempting to paint Pretti as a “domestic terrorist” after the 37-year-old nurse was shot and killed by federal immigration agents. She also claimed the shooting was justified because Pretti wanted to attack officers and had brandished a firearm.
One problem: video evidence shows none of that actually happened.
Footage filmed by bystanders shows Pretti never attempted to attack law enforcement and had already been disarmed of a concealed handgun—one he was legally allowed to carry—before he was shot multiple times. A preliminary report from Customs and Border Protection’s internal investigation makes no mention of any claim that Pretti attacked officers or brandished a gun.
THE DETAILS: Tillis, who isn’t seeking reelection, didn’t hold back. “I think what she’s done in Minnesota should be disqualifying,” he told reporters. “It’s just amateurish. It’s terrible. It’s making the president look bad.”
Murkowski, a moderate Republican who frequently sides with Democrats, went even further. “I think the president needs to look at who he has in place as Secretary of Homeland Security. I would not support her again, and I think it probably is time for her to step down,” she told CNN.
Trump’s response? Double down. “I think she’s doing a very good job,” he told reporters Tuesday. “The border is totally secure.”
BUT BUT BUT: Noem isn’t the only one under fire. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is also facing pressure for his inflammatory lies in the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s killing, when he accused Pretti of being a “would-be assassin” who “tried to murder federal agents.”
In a desperate bid to save her job, Noem reportedly threw Miller under the bus. “Everything I’ve done, I’ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen,” Noem told a source, according to Axios. She blamed Miller for approving her claim that Pretti wanted to “massacre” immigration agents.
OF COURSE: This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has tried to smear someone killed by federal agents. Noem pulled the same move after the Jan. 7 shooting of Renee Good, suggesting the unarmed 37-year-old mother of three was committing “domestic terrorism” before she was shot at point-blank range by an ICE agent. Video footage shows Good was simply trying to pull away from agents who had surrounded her vehicle.
WHY IT MATTERS: The pattern is clear: federal agents kill civilians, the administration lies about it, video evidence proves them wrong, and Trump defends everyone involved while attacking anyone who objects—including members of his own party. The only people facing any consequences are the ones calling out the lies, not the ones telling them.