Minneapolis shooting victim Renee Good's actions before she was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer could "fall under that definition" of domestic terrorism, as Homeland Security Secretary and other administration officials have claimed, White House border czar Tom Homan said on Sunday.
"I don't know what Secretary Noem knows," Homan said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press." "If you look up the definition of terrorism, it can fall under that definition."
Good was shot in the head during a confrontation with ICE officials. The administration insisted that she was killed out of self-defense while she was trying to hit Jonathan Ross, the veteran ICE agent who shot her, with her vehicle.
"We've all got to agree there's no reason ... to do what she did," Homan said Sunday. "There's no reason to be there."
He added, "If you want to protest, protest; but don't actively impede and interfere and certainly don't drive a 4,000-pound vehicle toward an officer."
Meanwhile, Homan called the episode "tragic" while urging the public to wait for investigators to complete their work and warning that "hateful rhetoric" has fueled escalating violence against federal agents.
He added that video of the incident that has circulated publicly does not answer key questions about what investigators may still uncover, including forensic and ballistic evidence, as well as additional footage that federal authorities may have.
"Look, it's tragic," Homan said. "I've said from March that if the hateful rhetoric doesn't decline, there will be bloodshed. I've seen it before, and unfortunately, I was right. There's been a lot of bloodshed."
Homan said the officer's mindset is central to the case and said the circumstances could support a claim of self-defense.
"You have to put yourself in the mind of the officer," he said. "I truly believe this officer, in his mind, thought his mind was in danger, which allows him to use lethal force."
Homan repeatedly said the investigation should proceed before firm conclusions are drawn.
"Let the investigation play out," he said. "There's a lot of video we probably haven't seen that the FBI has that we don't. Where's the forensics and the ballistics?"
He also criticized commentary that has labeled the officer a criminal before the investigation is complete.
"Saying this officer is a murderer is dangerous," Homan said. "It's just ridiculous. It's going to infuriate people more."
Pressed on whether he had evidence supporting that label, Homan said he was not prepared to second-guess Noem, while returning to his argument that the conduct shown in the video was unlawful.
Homan also criticized Minnesota's immigration policies, saying federal officers were operating in Minneapolis because state and local officials limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
"Why are we in Minneapolis?" Homan said. "Because it's a sanctuary city and a sanctuary state."
He said immigration authorities were targeting "dangerous" people and said interfering with federal officers is illegal.
"It's not OK to impede and interfere with an officer," he said. "They're arresting bad people, and it's illegal. What she did is a crime.
"It's illegal to impede law enforcement officers, and that's why we're there."
Homan also defended the FBI's role in the investigation after local officials raised concerns about being excluded, saying federal agents typically lead when a federal officer is involved in a shooting.
"This is a federal crime," he said. "When a federal officer is in a shooting, it falls under the FBI. It's been that way forever."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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