Republican Sen. Rand Paul stopped short of saying Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should keep her position following the deadly shootings in Minneapolis, signaling that forthcoming testimony could be decisive.
In an interview on 60 Minutes, Paul said he found “no evidence” that Alex Pretti attacked law enforcement officers before he was killed. Describing the footage he reviewed, Paul said Pretti appeared to be backing away as agents approached.
“I saw a man that was retreating. I mean, he went to the middle of the street. He didn’t even obstruct traffic. He let a car go through,” Paul said. “As the agents advanced on him, he retreated to the side of the street. A woman is violently pushed to the ground, and he turns to help her, and that’s when he is grabbed from behind. I saw no evidence of him assaulting the police.”
Asked whether Noem should be fired, Paul declined to give a definitive answer, saying he expects to learn more during a congressional hearing scheduled for February 12. He also issued a pointed message to officials under Noem’s leadership who are expected to testify.
“If they’re watching and they come to testify, if you come in and you’re going to justify that this man was—aggressively assaulting your police officers—that cannot be acceptable,” Paul said. “That’s why they’re lacking in trust.”
Democrats have stepped up calls for Noem’s impeachment, with party leadership closely involved in the strategy. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats are proceeding cautiously despite broad support. “We don’t want a show vote. We want a successful vote,” Jeffries told reporters last week.
More than 80% of the Democratic caucus has co-sponsored articles of impeachment introduced by Rep. Robin Kelly. According to Axios, Kelly is coordinating closely with Jeffries and will not push for a floor vote without leadership’s approval.
The impeachment articles outline three allegations against Noem: obstruction of Congress, violation of public trust, and self-dealing. The first centers on claims that lawmakers were barred from entering Department of Homeland Security facilities and that congressionally appropriated disaster relief funds were withheld. The second accuses Immigration and Customs Enforcement of denying due process and violating First and Fourth Amendment rights of detainees. The third cites reports that Noem approved $220 million in contracts for a firm run by the husband of her top spokesperson.
In the Senate, Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee have called on Noem to testify “without delay” about actions taken by federal officials under her authority that resulted in the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
In a letter, committee members said Noem has overseen “an increasingly dangerous and untenable breakdown in trust in federal law enforcement across the country,” adding that her response to the incidents “has weakened the Department’s credibility, enflamed tensions, harmed public safety, and divided Americans.”
