Calls for Kristi Noem’s Impeachment Grow After Second Fatal Shooting: ‘Accountability, Not Lies’

There are renewed calls for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after federal agents fatally shot a second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis. Noem has been widely criticized for her response to the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old VA nurse who was shot in the street on Saturday during city-wide protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Noem said Pretti had “approached Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun” and “reacted violently” when officers attempted to disarm him. Echoing remarks made by Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller, Noem went on to accuse Pretti of perpetrating “the definition of domestic terrorism.”

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has told press that Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry. He also said: “I don’t have any evidence that I’ve seen that suggests the weapon was brandished.” Footage of Pretti’s final moments shows him being sprayed with a substance and pinned down to the ground by federal agents. In the videos circulating online, Pretti is not seen holding the handgun during his interactions with the federal agents.

Backlash is now mounting against Noem’s response to the shooting and her depiction of Pretti and the scene that unfolded. According to the New York Times, Trump held a two-hour meeting with Noem in the Oval Office on Monday evening amid the fallout from the weekend tragedy. Per the Times, the President did not suggest in the meeting that Noem’s job was at risk. However, there has already been some reshuffling in Minneapolis, as Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and some of his agents are set to leave the city now that Trump has deployed his czar Tom Homan. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to distance Trump from Noem’s rhetoric during a news briefing earlier in the day. When asked if Trump agrees with Noem and Miller’s depiction of the circumstances, Leavitt said she had not heard the President “characterize Mr. Pretti in that way.”

In an email to TIME on Tuesday morning, the Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said the “DHS enforces the laws Congress passes, period. If certain members don’t like those laws, changing them is literally their job… It’s time they focus on protecting the American people, the work this Department is doing every day under Secretary Noem’s leadership.”

Noem was already facing impeachment calls after a federal agent fatally shot U.S. citizen Renee Good on Jan. 7. The mom-of-three’s death sparked outrage—and protests—across Minneapolis and other U.S. cities. And Noem’s staunch defense of the federal agents sparked concern among Democratic lawmakers. Rep. Kelly Robin of Illinois introduced a bill calling for the impeachment of Noem on Jan. 14. According to Congress, 111 Democrats have now signed it.

Additionally, Noem is set to testify on March 3 before the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to the committee’s chair Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office. The testimony is not specifically tied to the current backlash, as she was initially called upon to appear in front of the committee last year.

But amid growing scrutiny over what happened in Minnesota, with even prominent Republicans calling for a “transparent” investigation into the incident, Democrats are upping their demands for Noem to be removed from office. House Democrats are reportedly set to begin investigations into Noem as early as next week, according to the Washington Post. Democratic Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi, a ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, said the investigation—that could lead to an impeachment vote— is “a step in the process of letting people know that we don’t like what we see.”

An official social media page for the Democrats on Sunday posted the message: “IMPEACH KRISTI NOEM.”

Here are some of the Democratic lawmakers leading the charge for Noem to face an impeachment vote:

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

Elizabeth Warren, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a filmed statement on Monday afternoon during which she discussed the discrepancies between the DHS’s account of the Pretti shooting and the video footage from the scene.

“Donald Trump and Kristi Noem think they can tell you what to believe,” she said, adding that “Kristi Noem should resign, and if she doesn’t, Congress should impeach her and remove her from office. In America, we still believe in accountability, not lies.”

Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont

Peter Welch voiced grave concerns over Noem’s role as Secretary of Homeland Security.

“Noem’s got to go… when there is a serious, serious situation involving the death of two citizens, she calls them ‘domestic terrorists.’ No one has confidence that she’s doing this job on the level,” said Welch on Monday.

“I would [support impeaching Noem], if that’s what it took. But she should resign,” he argued. “She’s blown the job. We need immigration enforcement, but that’s not what she’s doing—it’s mass intimidation.” 

Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada

Jacky Rosen said Noem has been an “abject failure” leading the DHS and argued “the abuses of power we’re seeing from ICE are the latest proof that she has lost control over her own department and staff.”

“She’s either too incompetent to rein in the agency under her purview, or she endorses the blatant constitutional violations being committed,” said Rosen. “Her department’s latest attempt to mislead the American public regarding the brutal and unjustified killing of Alex Pretti is deeply shameful, and she must be impeached and removed from office immediately.”

Rep. Pat Ryan of New York

Pat Ryan said “the Department of Homeland Security was created to make Americans feel safe and secure at home” and that Noem “has failed at this mission.”

Arguing that impeachment “exists as a last resort, to be used for only the most grave and egregious offenses against our country,” Ryan said he would be supporting calls for Noem to face an impeachment vote.

“Secretary Noem had many chances to take accountability. The Trump Administration had many chances to hold her accountable. At every turn, they’ve doubled down on their cover-up of her egregious violations of the public trust,” he claimed, urging Congress to take action. 

Rep. Sam Liccardo of California

Sam Liccardo in a video statement pledged his support for an impeachment vote against Noem.

“As a former federal prosecutor, I will do everything I can to clear my desk to ensure that everyone, all the way up to Kristi Noem, is held criminally accountable for the conduct that we are seeing in recent days, weeks, and months by ICE,” he vowed.

Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi

Thompson urged for the removal of ICE from Minneapolis and a full investigation into what led to the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens.

“Do-nothing Republicans in Congress must force ICE and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) to testify publicly. The Senate must vote against funding CBP and ICE,” he said, adding that “the House must immediately take steps to impeach Kristi Noem.”

Rep. Laura Gillen of New York

Laura Gillen noted her signature on a bill to increase “guardrails” for ICE, including the introduction of body cameras and additional de-escalation training for officers. But she said more must be done and called for the “urgent” removal of Noem.