Francis Chung – Pool via CNP / MEGA; Steven Bergman/AFF-USA.COM / MEGA
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized journalist Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation after she named the ICE agent involved in the fatal shooting of Renee Good during a Minneapolis immigration enforcement operation earlier this month.
The women’s exchange grew tense during the Sunday, January 18, episode when Brennan, 45, asked Noem, 54, about Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent identified by multiple outlets as the officer who shot and killed Good on January 7. Good, 37, died during a confrontation with federal agents in Minneapolis that has sparked protests and national debate over the agency’s tactics.
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“Don’t say his name,” Noem said. “I mean, for heaven’s sakes, we shouldn’t have people continue to dox law enforcement when they have an 8,000-percent increase in death threats against them.”
Brennan responded that the agent’s name was already public information and noted that other news outlets had reported it.
“I know, but that doesn’t mean it should continue to be said,” Noem fired back.
She continued, “His life, he got attacked with a car that was trying to take his life, and then people have attacked him and his family, and they are in jeopardy. We have law enforcement officers every day who are getting death threats and getting attacked at their hotels, they’re getting ice thrown at them.”
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Brenna explained that “of course no one condones violence against anyone,” and she went on to ask about the agent’s status and whether he faced investigation, but Noem refused to provide any more details.
“I’m not gonna share his, I’m not gonna — we followed the exact same protocols that we always have for years as to investigations into these situations,” she replied. “But I’m not gonna talk about his medical records. I know that you know that in itself is his prerogative to discuss his health.”
The shooting of Good occurred amid an ongoing ICE operation in the Minneapolis area. The Department of Justice later confirmed it would not pursue a federal investigation into the agent’s actions, a decision that has drawn criticism from lawmakers and civil rights advocates.