Prominent Democrats are escalating calls to remove Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, accusing her of rushing to defend federal officers involved in two separate fatal shootings \u2014 a push that Republicans are likely to view as more partisan pressure on law enforcement than a serious, evidence-based accountability process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Axios, a House Democratic caucus phone call on Sunday \u201clit up\u201d with demands to impeach Noem after the death of Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal agents on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) reportedly warned colleagues that if Noem refuses to step down, \u201cwe will have no other option but to begin impeachment,\u201d according to anonymous sources cited by Axios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-MS) \u2014 \u201cwho was once reticent about impeachment\u201d \u2014 also called for Noem to be impeached during the same call, Axios reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside Washington, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) also demanded Noem\u2019s removal, writing, \u201c@Sec_Noem has forfeited her right to lead. I\u2019m calling on her to resign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hochul went further, adding, \u201cGregory Bovino must also be fired,\u201d referring to a senior Border Patrol official who publicly defended the shooting at a press conference Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democrats argue Noem is showing a troubling pattern of defending federal officers before facts are fully established, pointing to a similar incident earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The article notes that Renee Good was \u201cshot four times and killed\u201d on Jan. 7 by \u201cofficer Jonathan Ross,\u201d and that Noem also immediately said the officer acted in self-defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Noem\u2019s supporters \u2014 and many Republicans \u2014 are likely to counter that federal officers operating in volatile environments, including protests and border-related enforcement actions, deserve the presumption that they were responding to a real threat until evidence proves otherwise, especially amid increasingly aggressive anti-police rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republicans have also criticized Democrats for using impeachment as a political weapon in recent years, arguing that removing Cabinet officials should be reserved for clear misconduct, not disputed narratives still under investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Sunday\u2019s press conference, Bovino described Pretti as an \u201cassaultive subject\u201d who was \u201cassaulting\u201d officers and interfering with a federal action \u2014 language that underscores how federal officials are framing the encounter as a fast-moving confrontation rather than an unprovoked shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bovino\u2019s comments, however, are now being disputed by Democrats and major media outlets that reviewed video from the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Major news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, reviewed bystander footage and reported that \u201cBystander footage appears to tell a different story\u201d than the Trump administration\u2019s claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Journal reported: \u201cA frame-by-frame review by The Wall Street Journal shows a federal officer pulling a handgun away from Pretti. Less than a second later, an agent fires several rounds. Pretti died at the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both The Journal and The New York Times concluded that \u201cAt least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dispute is now shifting into familiar political territory: Democrats are pressing for impeachment and firings, while Republicans are likely to insist that the federal government should not allow high-pressure incidents involving officers to be immediately adjudicated by political opponents \u2014 especially before investigators have fully reviewed evidence, witness statements, and body camera footage, if available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n