
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been raked over the coals for her response to a question on the administration’s blatant hypocrisy in its treatment of largely nonviolent anti-ICE protestors versus those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Noem spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper about the death of Renee Nicole Good, a queer wife and mother who was shot three times by ICE agent Jonathan Ross while fleeing from him in her car. Despite extensive video footage proving otherwise, Noem has claimed the officer’s life was in danger and accused Good of weaponizing her vehicle against him. She even called Good a domestic terrorist.
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Tapper played footage of Capitol police being crushed and beaten by MAGA protestors on January 6 and asked Noem if she thought the police would have been justified in shooting and killing the Trump supporters attacking them, the way Noem claims Ross’s actions against Good were justified.
Noem essentially replied that every situation is different and claimed Donald Trump is enforcing the laws equally.
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Tapper took her to task. “It’s just not true,” he said. “There’s a different standard for law enforcement officials being attacked if they’re being attacked by Trump supporters. We just saw that.”
Noem replied with word salad: “This individual and these instances and these investigations all have to be taken and done and done correctly in the context of every situation that is happening on the ground.”
Tapper: Those are officers being attacked on Jan 6th? By this standard, would any of those officers be justified in shooting and killing the people, causing them physical harm?
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 11, 2026
Noem: When people are physically harming them, they have the authority to arrest those individuals.… pic.twitter.com/OZNMTFRNCu
Politics and legal experts across the Internet had a lot to say about Noem’s response.
Noem might as well have said, “Don’t believe your lying eyes…and ignore all of ours.” This brutal bandwagon is trying to roll all over our rights and they don’t care who they hurt. https://t.co/Sm4eR4t1al
— Maya Wiley (@mayawiley) January 11, 2026
When practiced, unabashed liars like Noem even struggle to come up with answers and just rehash bogus, canned talking points, you know just how egregious is the offense they’re struggling to defend. https://t.co/iYvr9ZQs2m
— Jennifer Erin Valent
Source: LGBTQ Nation