
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt lashed out at a journalist after he asked why the administration is saying that ICE is “doing everything correctly” even after queer mom Renee Good was shot in the face three times by an ICE agent. Leavitt then ranted about how he is a left-wing “hack” who should be reporting administration propaganda instead of asking questions about ICE’s brutality.
“You were just defending ICE agents generally, and earlier on, [Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem spoke to the media, and she said, among other things, that they are doing everything correctly,” asked Niall Stenage of The Hill. “Thirty-two people died in ICE custody last year, 170 U.S. citizens were detained by ICE, and Renee Good was shot in the head and killed by an ICE agent. How does that equate to them doing everything correctly?”
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“Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed?” Leavitt asked snidely.
“Are you asking me my opinion?” Stenage asked, perhaps surprised that she would want to know his opinion instead of stating the White House’s position.
“Yes,” she responded.
“Because an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably.”
“Oh, okay, so you’re a biased reporter with a left-wing opinion,” she pointed at him and said.
“What do you want me to do-“
“Because you’re a left-wing hack!” she started shouting. “You’re not a reporter! You’re posing in this room as a journalist, and it’s so clear by the premise of your question. And you and the people in the media who have such biases, but fake like you’re journalists, you shouldn’t even be sitting in that seat. But you’re pretending like you’re a journalist, but you’re a left-wing activist, and the question that you just raised and your answer proves your bias.”
The reporter tried to press her on his question, but Leavitt shouted over him and continued to berate him.
“You should be reporting on the facts. You should be reporting on cases. Do you have the numbers of how many American citizens were killed at the hands of illegal aliens who ICE is trying to remove from this country? I bet you don’t.”
She went on to talk about people who she claimed were killed by undocumented immigrants. Immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born people, despite the fact that some immigrants have probably committed violent crimes in recent years.
The Hill is a D.C.-based newspaper that covers federal politics and other topics. Its mission statement describes it as “nonpartisan,” and it has a reputation as a centrist publication.
Leavitt’s reaction has become the modus operandi for Republican elected officials interacting with journalists asking real questions. Instead of just answering, they often attack the journalist for raising uncomfortable questions.
The administration’s position on Good’s death has been that she deserved to die because she was “very disorderly” and “viciously ran over the ICE Officer,” even though multiple videos show her pointing her car in a different direction than ICE agent Jonathan Ross, and a video even shows him walking away from the interaction without any visible injuries.
Cellphone footage released last week showed Ross approaching the Goods’ SUV in a snowy residential neighborhood. In the video, Renee Good can be heard telling the agent, “That’s fine, dude, I’m not mad,” though it’s not clear exactly what she’s referring to. Her wife, Becca Good, is standing behind the car, taunting Ross, and then she enters as Renee Good drives away with Ross shouting, “Get out of the f**king car.”
The video does not show whether the Goods’ car came into contact with Ross. Three shots can be heard as Ross is next to the driver’s side door.
“F**king b**ch,” Ross says, and then the sound of the car crashing can be heard.
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