Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin avoided answering directly whether the department is “pulling back” on its narrative that Minneapolis shooting victim Alex Pretti was a “domestic terrorist.”
Appearing Tuesday on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” host Dana Perino asked McLaughlin the question after playing a clip of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem referring to Pretti, who was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents over the weekend, as a “domestic terrorist” to reporters on Saturday.
In the clip, Noem argued that Pretti came to “stop a law enforcement operation” without providing any evidence, adding, “That’s the facts.”
McLaughlin responded, “That situation we have seen on the ground in Minneapolis is a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement. Your viewers have seen the images.”
Claiming that “in this case we saw an individual who was armed,” she continued, “he got into a physical altercation with law enforcement, he was in the course of obstructing a federal operation, which is a federal crime.”
In the aftermath of Pretti’s killing, the Trump administration has repeatedly alleged that federal agents acted in self-defense. Noem told reporters in the Saturday press conference that Pretti “attacked those officers” despite circulated videos of the incident and sworn affidavits contradicting DHS’s claims.
“The Department of Homeland Security, we work every day to make sure we’re giving the American people swift, accurate information and so we’ll continue to do that —” McLaughlin continued.
Perino then tried to interject, saying, “Do you stand by —” as McLaughlin finished speaking.
“Then are you standing by calling him a domestic terrorist?” the Fox News host asked directly.
McLaughlin skirted the question.
“We’ll let this investigation that Homeland Security investigators are leading, the FBI is supporting and CBP is doing a separate internal investigation as well, Dana,” she responded.
“OK, then I guess it stands,” Perino countered.