Kristi Noem: ‘Everything I’ve done, I’ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen [Miller]’
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is under fire for issuing misleading and incendiary information that claimed immigration agents killed an armed Minnesota protestor Saturday because he wanted to “massacre” them.
- That language has now become a source of controversy in the Trump administration.
- White House officials are now blaming Customs and Border Patrol for furnishing inaccurate information, while others are targeting Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and top Trump adviser, six sources with knowledge of the situation told Axios.
Why it matters: The episode illustrates the confusion that gripped the administration after the Saturday shooting death of Minnesota protester Alex Pretti. And it shows the influence of Miller, Trump’s close and longest-serving political adviser whose dominion in the White House far exceeds his title.
- Miller’s power extends to de facto oversight of Noem, though she’s a Cabinet secretary who technically outranks him.
- “Everything I’ve done, I’ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen,” Noem told a person who relayed her remarks to Axios.
The Oval Office meeting also included several of Mr. Trump’s top aides, including Susie Wiles, his chief of staff, Karoline Leavitt, his press secretary, and Steven Cheung, his communications director. Stephen Miller, a top aide to Mr. Trump who oversees the administration’s immigration strategy, was not part of the meeting. [Continue reading…]
Kara Swisher is joined by guest co-host Anthony Scaramucci to discuss why so many business leaders have stayed silent about ICE violence in Minneapolis — and why it’s time to push back against Donald Trump (and Stephen Miller):