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‘You Are No Different Than Kristi Noem’: McEnany Blasts Jessica Tarlov For Hypocrisy

McEnany Blasts Jessica Tarlov For Hypocrisy (Screenshot/Fox News)

Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany criticized Democratic strategist Jessica Tarlov on Monday, accusing her of reaching conclusions about a law-enforcement incident before investigators established the facts.

A Border Patrol agent fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti during what the Department of Homeland Security described as a “targeted” enforcement operation at about 9:05 a.m. Saturday, an incident that later started riots and property destruction. During a discussion on “The Five,” McEnany repeatedly pressed Tarlov on whether she was calling for an investigation or had already decided who was at fault.

“Jessica, did you call for an investigation after Renee Good? You did. Are you calling for an investigation now? Are you just stating a conclusion? Because it seems like you’ve arrived at a conclusion before an investigation,” McEnany said.

Tarlov pushed back, saying the discussion itself was not divisive and rejecting the idea that criticizing rhetoric amounted to prejudging the case. McEnany disagreed and warned that language matters, especially when it implies criminal guilt.

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“It is irresponsible to call someone a domestic terrorist before you have the facts,” McEnany said. “You are no different than Kristi Noem. Kristi Noem came out and said ‘domestic terrorists.’ You are coming out and saying murderer. When you say murder, you are calling those six agents murderers before you have the facts. The responsible way to handle this is to say one, it is a tragedy anytime a U.S. citizen dies.”

“It is a tragedy that Renee Good died. It is a tragedy that Alex Pretti died,” McEnany added. “We call for an investigation because we don’t arrive at conclusions. We don’t call people domestic terrorists who were killed before investigations disagree with the administration on that. So too does President Trump and on Renee Good.” 

Democrats quickly condemned Pretti’s shooting, with Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar calling it an “execution,” while party leaders urged President Donald Trump to halt U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement operations.

Investigations into Minnesota welfare fraud revealed that stolen funds helped finance the Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabaab, prompting Trump to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in the state on Nov. 22, as federal officials estimated the scheme cost at least $9 billion and described it as “industrial-scale” fraud.

ICE deployed a large contingent of agents into the Minneapolis region after early reports surfaced, focusing enforcement efforts on Somali nationals in the country unlawfully. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey later said in a Dec. 7 television interview that city police would refuse to assist federal immigration actions.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Fox News)