Karoline Leavitt accuses reporter of bias in Renee Good's case: 'You're a left-wing activist'

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt launched a sharp personal attack against a Northern Irish journalist during a tense press briefing on Thursday, January 15, after he questioned the administration’s handling of a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis.

The exchange centered on the death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman who was shot by a federal agent on January 7.

Leavitt accused the reporter of bias and dismissed his question as activist-driven rather than journalistic. The confrontation unfolded as the administration faced mounting scrutiny over immigration enforcement and escalating unrest in Minnesota.

Karoline Leavitt berates reporter over question on ICE shooting

The heated exchange occurred when The Hill’s Niall Stanage asked Leavitt to respond to statistics about deaths in ICE custody and the killing of Renee Good.

“Thirty-two people died in ICE custody last year, 170 US citizens were detained by ICE and Renee Good was shot in the head and killed by an ICE agent,” Stanage said, asking how that record aligned with claims that the agency was acting appropriately.

Leavitt responded by turning the question back on the reporter.

“Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed?” she asked. When Stanage replied that an ICE agent had “acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably,” Leavitt accused him of political bias and questioned his role in the briefing room.

“You shouldn’t even be sitting in that seat, but you’re pretending like you’re a journalist,” Leavitt said. “You’re a left-wing activist and the question that you just raised in your answer proves your bias.”

She went on to challenge the reporter to cite cases involving crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, saying, “Do you have the numbers of how many American citizens were killed at the hands of illegal aliens who ICE is trying to remove from this country? I bet you don’t.”

Leavitt also criticized what she described as selective media coverage, referencing victims including Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray.

“Shame on people like you in the media who have a crooked view and have a biased view and pretend like you’re real, honest journalists,” she said.

Renee Good's shooting and Karoline Leavitt's response

Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent during immigration crackdowns in Minnesota. 

The White House pushed back forcefully against media framing of the events. During the same briefing, Leavitt denounced a CNN chyron that read, “Protests erupt after federal agents shoot woman in Minneapolis,” calling it “not the truth.”

Her criticism focused on what she said was a lack of context, though she did not dispute that the shooting and subsequent protests occurred.

“That is not the story. That’s not the truth,” Leavitt said, arguing that coverage failed to reflect the administration’s account that agents were acting in self-defense.

President Donald Trump responded to the ongoing protests in Minnesota by threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act on Thursday. He wrote on Truth Social that, “The corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators.”