Kristi Noem Refuses to Retract 'Domestic Terrorist' Comments About Alex Pretti and Renee Good at Senate Hearing

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declined to retract her earlier characterization of Alex Pretti and Renee Good as engaging in "domestic terrorism" during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, despite repeated questions from lawmakers in both parties.

The hearing marked Noem's first appearance before Congress since the January 7 shooting of Good and the January 24 shooting of Pretti by federal immigration agents. Both deaths occurred during enforcement operations that drew national attention.

In the days following the shootings, Noem publicly described the incidents as acts of "domestic terrorism," linking the deaths to what she characterized as coordinated violent resistance to federal immigration enforcement.

In an exchange with Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Dick Durbin, Noem expressed condolences to the families but did not withdraw her prior remarks, despite being pressed by the Senator.

"When we have these situations happen, we always offer our condolences to those families and I offer mine as well," Noem said. "These are tragic situations and I can't imagine what these families go through in losing a loved one."

Durbin asked whether she would retract statements identifying the victims as domestic terrorists, noting that Customs and Border Protection and ICE officials had testified they did not inform her that Pretti was a domestic terrorist. Noem answered that she had relied on "reports from the ground from agents at the scene," describing the situation in Minneapolis and St. Paul as "chaotic" amid what she characterized as violent protests tied to immigration enforcement.

When Durbin pressed her on whether she would admit she was wrong, Noem responded, "As these investigations continue to go, I absolutely strive to provide factual information." Asked if she would admit error publicly, she said, "Absolutely." She added, "We always know that there's room for improvement."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar also questioned Noem, telling her that Pretti's parents considered the terrorism label "one of the most hurtful things they could ever imagine." Klobuchar asked whether Noem had anything to say to the families.

"We were relying in the hours after that incident that was so horrific on information we were getting from the ground from our agents," Noem said. She later added, "I did not call him a domestic terrorist. I said it appeared to be an incident of."

In a separate exchange, Sen. John Kennedy questioned reports that Noem had attributed the characterization to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Noem denied blaming Miller, saying information had been relayed to the press by anonymous sources. "That day, we were working to get as much information to the American people as possible," she said.