Tapper calls out Noem for dodging questions: 'I know you'd like to make me the topic'

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was called out Sunday on CNN for repeatedly dodging Jake Tapper’s questions about her claim that Renee Good – the Minnesota woman fatally shot by an immigration agent last week – had engaged in “domestic terrorism.”

Good was shot last Wednesday in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent while in her vehicle, and after being given conflicting commands by law enforcement. The killing was fiercely defended by the Trump administration, whereas critics have called for the agent to face murder charges.

“I'm wondering if you're not doing a disservice to the officer by reaching a conclusion before the investigation takes place,” Tapper told Noem, who moments earlier had repeatedly defended herself coming to the conclusion that Good had engaged in “domestic terrorism” just hours after the incident.

Instead of addressing how she could so definitively come to such a conclusion so soon after the incident, Noem moved to attack Tapper for his coverage of the killing.

“I haven't heard you say once what a disservice it's been for [Minneapolis] Mayor [Jacob] Frye to get up and to tell ICE to ‘get the F out of this city,' and for [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)] to stand up before she had any of the facts and call this officer a murderer,” Noem said.

“Call them out, Jake! Spend as much time calling them out. I have provided you with facts and information to back up every single word that we have said. If you don't like it that's fine, but we're going to continue to do the right thing to keep the American people safe.”

Apparently done asking Noem to explain her assessment that Good was a domestic terrorist, Tapper called Noem out for shifting the topic of discussion yet again.

“I know that you'd like to make me the topic of this and not what happened, but I did ask a Democratic senator just a few minutes ago about AOC's comments,” Tapper said.

“And I don't actually even know what you're talking about when I ask questions as if that's an assertion – it's a question: how can you make a conclusion before an investigation, and there really isn't an answer other than you saw the video.”