US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Minnesota officials of politicizing the investigation into a fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
"I would say that these locals, if you look at what (Minnesota) Gov. (Tim) Walz has said and (Minneapolis) Mayor (Jacob) Frey has said, they've extremely politicized and inappropriately talked about the situation on the ground in their city," Noem told CNN when asked about the Justice Department's cooperation with Minnesota officials.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said Thursday it "reluctantly" withdrew from the investigation after the US Attorney's Office reversed course and granted the FBI sole leadership, cutting off BCA access to case materials, scene evidence, and investigative interviews.
Noem also accused protesters of being trained to use vehicles as deadly weapons and block streets. "All of these times you see these rioters out there doing that—they've been trained to do that; they know they are training them to break the law," she told Fox News.
White House border czar Tom Homan said on NBC he believed the ICE officer thought he "did the right thing," adding that according to federal law, his response was legitimate.
"We gotta stop the hateful rhetoric. Saying this officer is a murderer is dangerous. It's just ridiculous," Homan said. "It's gonna infuriate people more, which means there's gonna be more incidents like this."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told CNN what happened in Minneapolis is a "tragedy," citing examples of other ICE shootings around the country where no charges were brought.
"This is why I have said that the (US) president (Donald Trump) is not following the law. Why Kristi Noem needs to resign or be impeached, and why (Homeland Security Department spokesperson) Tricia McLaughlin should not have the job that she has. She's a pathological liar. She's their spokesperson," Pritzker said.
US Rep. Robin Kelly announced Wednesday that she plans to impeach Noem.
An ICE officer killed Renee Nicole Macklin Good, 37, on Wednesday in Minnesota after the Trump administration stepped up immigration raids.
Trump administration officials claim the shooting was a defensive action, while local officials have rejected that account.
