Kristi Noem’s VERY unlucky submit shortly earlier than Trump despatched Tom Homan to Minneapolis to scrub up mess after she lied about protester shot lifeless by her DHS officers
Kristi Noem posted a glowing message about federal winter storm clean-up efforts just hours before the President dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take control of a spiraling crisis sparked by the killing of Alex Pretti.
Donald Trump’s Administration has been accused of misrepresenting the facts of what led up to Saturday’s shooting, with video evidence and statements from the 37-year-old’s family sharply contradicting official claims.
The timing of the DHS Secretary’s post, praising the coordination during this weekend’s winter storm, came as Minneapolis erupted in protests following Pretti’s death and the government faced growing scrutiny over its handling of federal immigration operations that have left two Minnesota residents dead in recent weeks.
Trump announced Monday morning that Homan would head to Minnesota and report directly to him as pressure mounted from courts, lawmakers in both parties, law enforcement leaders and the victim’s family, who accused the Administration of spreading ‘sickening lies’ after suggesting Pretti was a violent attacker.
‘I am sending Tom Homan to Minnesota tonight,’ Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
‘He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.’
Trump tied the move to what he described as violent protests and a sweeping welfare fraud investigation, writing that a ‘massive 20 Billion Dollar, Plus, Welfare Fraud’ case in Minnesota was ‘at least partially responsible for the violent organized protests going on in the streets.’
In the same post, the President said the Department of Justice and Congress were examining Representative Ilhan Omar, adding, ‘Time will tell all.’
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted about winter storm cleanup hours before Trump’s announcement, drawing backlash over timing
President Donald Trump announced he is sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to oversee federal immigration operations
Homan will report directly to Trump, who described him as ‘tough but fair’ in a Truth Social post
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said separately that Homan will coordinate with officials leading ongoing investigations into fraud schemes in Minnesota.
As outrage over Pretti’s killing intensified, Noem’s social media post drew swift backlash for failing to acknowledge the fatal shooting carried out by officers under her department’s authority.
‘I am incredibly proud of the men and women serving at the National Response Coordination Center to respond to the winter storm,’ she wrote.
‘The Trump administration has worked around the clock with state and local governments ahead of this winter storm.’
‘Response to this storm has been locally executed, state led and federally supported. Those are President Trump’s principles. That’s how it should be. That’s what works,’ she added.
The post circulated widely as critics accused Noem of attempting to shift focus away from the killing and from what the administration initially claimed was a justified use of force.
‘It took your administration all of MINUTES after the cold blooded murder of ALEX PRETTI to decide you were going to shamelessly cover it up with LIES and DENIAL OF ACCESS, effectively smearing the name of an upstanding citizen, an ICU nurse who dedicated his life to our VETERANS, who died merely exercising his constitutional rights and ensuring the safety of his community,’ wrote one angry poster in response.
‘YOU didn’t even *Technically* fire the shots! You could have easily thrown the agent involved under the bus and admitted your NEGLIGENCE. The whole world is watching and now there’s no way back,’ they added.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a separate social media post that Homan will coordinate with officials leading ongoing investigations into fraud schemes in Minnesota
Pretti’s family accused the Trump administration of spreading ‘sickening lies’ about their son after his death
Noem posted a series of photos showing her speaking with FEMA officials after the storm
Critics accused Noem of attempting to shift focus away from the killing of Pretti and from what the administration initially claimed was a justified use of force
Noem’s Instagram post instantly came in for criticism given the timing
‘You’ve got blood on your hands,’ said another commenter bluntly.
‘Can’t wait till the day you get fired, and held you for actions!!!,’ wrote a third.
Such comments came after Noem said, definitively during a Saturday press conference, that the shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti was justified.
‘Fearing for his life and for the lives of his fellow officers around him, an agent fired defensive shots,’ Noem said. ‘This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.’
Noem said that the incident would be investigated, ‘just like we do all other officer-involved shootings.’
A reporter asked her if Pretti brandished a gun, and at what point he had been disarmed.
At the time of the press conference, analysis from several videos indicated Pretti had been disarmed before being shot.
‘This individual showed up to impede a law enforcement operation and assaulted our officers,’ Noem replied.
‘They responded according to their training and took action to defend the officer’s life and those of the public around them … This is a violent riot when you have someone showing up with weapons and are using them to assault law enforcement officers.’
Pretti’s family issued a written statement after senior Trump administration officials suggested their son was a ‘domestic terrorist’ who was ‘brandishing a weapon’ and attacking the officers who shot him.
‘The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting,’ the family said.
They said video footage shows Pretti was not holding a gun when he was tackled by federal agents, but was holding his phone in one hand and using the other to shield a woman who was being pepper-sprayed.
‘Please get the truth out about our son,’ the family urged soon after the shooting. ‘He was a good man.’
Use-of-force experts say the video undermines federal claims that Pretti approached officers with a firearm or posed an imminent threat.
No public evidence has been released to support statements by Border Patrol senior official Greg Bovino that Pretti intended to ‘massacre law enforcement.’
Video shows Pretti, 37, already pepper-sprayed and on his knees when the clip begins
Pretti was an intensive care unit nurse and had worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He worked as a research scientist before returning to school to become a nurse
The Pretti family demanded the public see the video evidence they say makes it clear that their son was holding a cellphone and not a gun when he was attacked and killed
On Saturday, Noem defended the agents’ actions, repeatedly insisting at a press conference that Pretti had ‘brandished’ a weapon
People take part in a demonstration a day after Pretti’s death in Minneapolis, Minnesota
People protest against ICE in downtown Minneapolis on Sunday
Secretary Noem made a statement regarding Tom Homan’s deployment to Minnesota
A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments later on Monday on whether to temporarily halt or scale back ‘Operation Metro Surge,’ the enforcement campaign launched on December 1 that dramatically expanded the federal law enforcement presence in Minnesota.
Republican unease has also grown. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino requested testimony from leaders at ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying his ‘top priority remains keeping Americans safe.’
Other Republicans, including Representative Michael McCaul and Senators Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski, have pressed for additional information, signaling bipartisan concern over federal tactics.
The Daily Mail reached out for additional comment from Secretary Noem’s office regarding Homan’s deployment to Minnesota. The office referred to the Secretary’s follow-up statement on X.
‘This is good news for peace, safety, and accountability in Minneapolis,’ Noem wrote.
‘I have worked closely with Tom over the last year and he has been a major asset to our team – his experience and insight will help us in our wide-scale fraud investigations, which have robbed Americans, and will help us to remove even more public safety threats and violent criminal illegal aliens off the of streets of Minneapolis.
‘We continue to call on the leadership in Minnesota to allow for state and local partnership in our public safety mission. Thank you Mr. President.’
