AOC Goes Nuclear On Kristi Noem For Suggesting That Protesters Who Show Up With Firearms Deserve To Die

New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's hypocrisy after Noem responded to the murder of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis by claiming that protesters who show up with firearms aren't "peaceful."

Calls for an investigation have intensified from across the political spectrum after analysis of multiple videos showed ICE officers removing a handgun from Pretti—whom authorities said was permitted to carry but was not handling—before fatally shooting him.

Noem and other officials claimed Pretti had brandished a weapon and that agents fired “defensive shots,” assertions that have been contradicted by video evidence showing Pretti holding a phone and not brandishing a gun.

When asked if she agrees with the White House labeling Pretti a "domestic terrorist" for carrying a firearm during a demonstration against the government, Noem said:

"When you perpetuate violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and perpetuate violence, that is the definition of domestic terrorism."

"This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism. That's the facts."

You can hear what Noem said in the video below.

Later, during a CNN appearance, Ocasio-Cortez said the Trump administration’s account of Pretti's killing starkly clashes with its earlier praise for armed right-wing protesters.

She noted that Pretti—a legal gun owner with a valid Minnesota concealed-carry permit—was not shown on video brandishing a weapon before he was shot, and that Minnesota law allows permit holders to carry firearms in public, including at protests.

She said:

“How rich is it that she is saying showing up to the scene of a protest with a legally owned weapon should be grounds for a person’s death, execution at the hands of the state, by the same party and the same administration that praises Kyle Rittenhouse?”

Ocasio-Cortez's reference to Rittenhouse is accurate.

Rittenhouse has remained a darling among the right since he was acquitted of all charges relating to the August 2020 fatal shootings of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and injuring Gaige Grosskreutz during the Kenosha unrest, which took place after police officers shot and partially paralyzed Jacob Blake, a black man.

Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree crimes, which legal pundits cite as the only reason he was acquitted, as the evidence left reasonable doubt on the requirements for a first-degree conviction. Had Rittenhouse been charged with 2nd degree homicide or manslaughter, they surmise he would have been found guilty.

Since his acquittal, Rittenhouse—whose sobbing on the stand inspired a flurry of memes—has cashed in on his notoriety by appearing at far-right events, fundraising for a host of pet projects that have gone nowhere, including a "Media Accountability Project" aimed at suing everyone who called him a murderer.

Earlier this month, Rittenhouse even offered to travel to Minnesota following ICE's fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good—words that were celebrated by right-wingers who suggested he should follow through and "control" demonstrations.

Ocasio-Cortez continued:

“When she [Noem] is talking about how merely showing up and inciting violence based on ideology against the government, when this administration has pardoned hundreds of Jan. 6th rioters who have then gone out into the streets and recommitted crimes of violence over and over again."

“What Secretary Noem is saying is not that you can’t do these things, is not that you can’t be armed, is not that you can’t attack your government. She just thinks that you can’t do that based on your political affiliation.”

“The uncorking of chaos that this administration is trying to attempt against the American people is escalatory, it is dangerous and it is a complete abdication of leadership. We cannot go down this road. We cannot have countrymen against countrymen, citizen against citizen."

"This is not the America that we believe in. It is not the America that we stand in and we must unite together against this kind of very dangerous splintering that they are seeking to incite against people and divide us.”

You can hear what she said in the video below.

Many echoed her criticisms.

Since Pretti's killing, support has grown for Noem's impeachment.

An impeachment resolution brought by Illinois Democratic Representative Robin Kelly now has over 130 co-sponsors as DHS continues to face scrutiny for its immigration enforcement.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin dismissed the outrage, saying DHS merely enforces the country's laws and that "If certain members don’t like those laws, changing them is literally their job." She claimed Democrats "would rather defend criminals and attack the men and women who are enforcing our laws."