‘Let the investigation play out’: Tom Homan pushes back on Kristi Noem’s ICE shooting remarks

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Border Czar Tom Homan pushed back on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s quick response to the deadly ICE officer shooting in Minneapolis.

He said leaders need to let the investigation run its course before jumping to conclusions.

It’s unusual to see such a public disagreement between top Trump officials, especially with so much national attention on this case.

“The investigation has just started,” said Homan after CBS’s 'Evening News' host Tony Dokoupil asked the border czar to respond to a video of the shooting.

Tom Homan calls for caution and investigation first

During an interview on CBS Evening News on Wednesday, Homan was asked about video footage of the fatal encounter and Noem’s assertion that the incident amounted to an 'act of domestic terrorism.'

Instead of echoing her comments, Homan emphasized that the investigation was just beginning and cautioned against premature judgment.

“I’m not gonna make a judgment call on one video when there’s a hundred videos out there. I wasn’t on the scene, I’m not an officer that may have bodycam video,” Homan said.

“It’d be unprofessional to comment on what I think happened in that situation. Let the investigation play out and hold people accountable based on the investigation.”

Tom Homan, who used to run ICE and has spent years in law enforcement, said it’s just not professional to guess what happened before the experts go through all the footage, talk to witnesses, and check the body camera recordings.

Tom Homan urges not to prejudge the facts

The host, Tony Dokoupil, had asked Homan, “I think many members of the public are calling for the same thing and so they’re confused. Maybe you can help me understand how the Department of Homeland Security could conclude so swiftly that this is, quote, ‘an act of domestic terrorism'.”

“That’s a question for Homeland Security. I’m the border czar,” shot back Homan.

“What good is it to do right now to pre-judge the facts of what happened without giving law enforcement professionals, whether it’s the FBI or the local police there, give them time to look at all the videos, talk to all of the witnesses, talk to the officers, and make an educated decision on what occurred today,” he continued.

He concluded, “That’s what needs to happen. I’ve been a cop since 1984, and it’s a process we must go through.”

On Wednesday, a woman was fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as tensions rise over ICE’s presence in the state. 

Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security said the woman shot by the ICE agent tried to use her car as a weapon.

According to their statement, she 'weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them — an act of domestic terrorism.'

They added that an ICE officer, afraid for his life, his colleagues, and the public, fired back to protect himself and others.