Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem has stunned Americans with her response to an ICE agent calling Renee Nicole Good a “f****ng b**ch” after she was killed.
Noem, who continues to defend the January 7 shooting and has claimed Good, 37, was a domestic terrorist, was asked about the comment in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN.
The insult levelled at Good was caught on camera moments after she was shot and killed by agent Jonathan Ross.
Highlights
- Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem defended the ICE agent who called Renee Nicole Good a “f****ng b**ch” after shooting her dead.
- Noem appeared to smirk when asked if the insult came from Agent Jonathan Ross, sparking backlash for showing 'zero respect for human life.'
- Noem claimed Good was a domestic terrorist who blocked law enforcement and attacked with a weaponized vehicle.
Jake Tapper pressed Kristi Noem on her defense of the deadly shooting
Image credits: John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images
On State of the Union on Sunday, Tapper showed Noem the video and asked, “Is that Agent Ross's voice calling Renee Good a f****ng b**ch?”
Noem responded, “I can't determine which one it is, but it could be, sir.”
She then appeared to smirk after answering the question.
The clip of Noem has gained significant attention online, with social media users alleging she has shown “zero respect for human life.”
Image credits: CNN
“You see her gross smirk at the end of that. Reads ‘yea it’s him, and so what?’” one user commented.
Another added, “She is trying not to laugh.”
“The smile after she said it, this is just a game to them,” a third wrote.
During the interview, Tapper also pressed Noem on her account of the incident, reading her a statement that she made just hours after the shooting.
“They [ICE] were attempting to push out their vehicle, and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle,” Noem previously told reporters.
Defending her statement, Noem insisted, “It absolutely is what happened.”
“[She] blocked the road for a long time, and was yelling at them and impeding a federal law enforcement investigation. That's what you need to focus on, Jake, as they were breaking the law by impeding and obstructing a law enforcement operation.
“They were breaking the law already, and these officers were doing their due diligence with what their training had prepared them to do to make sure they were handling it appropriately."
Good had told Ross she was not mad at him before he shot her
Image credits: ODU English Department
Tapper further questioned that account, mentioning how video footage appeared to show Good attempting to drive around the ICE agent, with her wheels seemingly pointed in the opposite direction from him.
As well as the clip released by Homeland Security capturing the insult to Good, it also shows a conversation she had with Ross before he shot her.
“That’s fine, dude,” Good can be heard saying calmly as she sits in the driver’s seat of a maroon Honda Pilot while Ross films her. “I’m not mad at you.”
Another woman, believed to be Good’s wife, Rebecca Good, can be heard speaking to Ross as he continues to film the vehicle.
Image credits: maxnesterak/X
“Hey – show your face, big boy,” she can be heard saying while recording Ross. “We don’t change our plates every morning, just so you know. It will be the same plate when you come talk to us later.”
She adds, “You want to come at us? You want to come at us? I say go get yourself some lunch, big boy. Go ahead.”
Another agent approaches the vehicle and orders Good to “get out of the f***ng car” as Ross moves to stand in front of the vehicle.
Good is seen to reverse as her wife encourages, “Drive, baby, drive.” The agent’s phone then suddenly tilts upward as he exclaims, “Whoa.”
The moment aligns with another video circulating online that shows the car lightly brushing past him at very low speed, allowing him to easily keep his balance.
Noem has doubled down on her defense
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Moments later, gunshots ring out and an agent can be heard saying, “F***ing b**ch.”
Noem dismissed claims made by witnesses and local authorities that Good posed no threat to the agent.
“The facts of the situation are that the vehicle was weaponized and it attacked the law enforcement officer. He defended himself and he defended those individuals around him.”
She added, “You don't get to change the facts just because you don't like them.”
Image credits: Stephanie Tacy/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Tapper doubled down on his scepticism of the official narrative, noting, “DHS policy authorizes use of deadly force only – quote – ‘when no reasonably effective, safe and feasible alternative appears to exist.’
“Could he not have just gotten out of the way?”
Noem did not answer the question, instead replying, “This individual and this officer is a highly experienced law enforcement officer. He has years of training and specialized training for these types of situations.”