White House slams MS NOW correspondent for 'sick' remarks on DC shooting of National Guardsmen
Washington, DC: The White House reacted strongly to the remarks of MS NOW correspondent Ken Dilanian by calling them "beyond sick" and condemning them "in the strongest terms" after he insinuated that some Americans might be against the National Guard patrolling cities after the shooting of two Guardsmen in a location close to the White House.
This incident happened on Wednesday when two uniformed National Guardsmen were ambushed while performing their duty near a transit hub in northeast Washington. As a result, a manhunt was launched immediately in the region, and security alerts were raised.
MS NOW's Ken Dilanian just after 3pm Eastern on the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington D.C...
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) November 26, 2025
"[O]f course, you know, there's so much controversy happening in the United States right now with ice, who are also wearing uniforms and wearing masks. And so there's,… pic.twitter.com/p6IPk6XTWl
Ken Dilanian claims personnel in uniforms might make people 'object'
Dilanian was explaining the situation to the host Katy Tur when he said that the sight of personnel in uniforms roaming the American cities might make “some Americans … object.”
He seemed to insinuate that the attack is a consequence of public dissatisfaction over the presence of uniformed forces in general, like ICE officers, rather than a shooting that he condemns explicitly.
The idea that the public might be troubled by the presence of uniformed forces and therefore link the attack to that rather than the shooting itself, which was broadcasted with very violent images and reports of the severely wounded, was enough to start the immediate backlash.
People who disagreed with Dilanian's point said that his words were very inappropriate and insensitive to the tragic nature of the ambush.
White House responds to Ken Dilanian's remarks
In a matter of hours, the White House Rapid Response team reacted to the criticism on social media.
.@KDilanianMSNOW, two heroes were just shot protecting our nation’s capital — and this is your takeaway?
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 26, 2025
Democrats have relentlessly demonized these Patriots, calling them “illegal” and even suggesting THEY might start shooting Americans.
Get help. You are beyond sick. https://t.co/08WHbYawWB
“Two heroes were just shot protecting our nation’s capital, and this is your takeaway?” they wrote, referring to Dilanian directly. They also wrote, “Democrats have been demonizing these Patriots … for a very long time. You need help. You are beyond sick.”
The point of the statement was to underline not only the media scrutiny of Dilanian’s comments but also his political criticism.
Shooting that sparked the discussion
The event took place on Wednesday, November 26, afternoon near 17th and I Street NW, Washington, DC
Two members of the National Guard from West Virginia were shot during a highly visible patrol that was only a few blocks away from the White House.
The police termed it a "targeted shooting" and arrested a suspect who was later identified as a 29-year-old Afghan national and who was also injured during the arrest.
After looking at video footage from the area and talking to witnesses, the police concluded that the guards were ambushed by a lone gunman.
The fact that the shooting happened at the height of the violence near a sensitive area led to immediate calls for more protection.
