Walz presses Homan for answers after Minneapolis shooting (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Joining me now is Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Governor Walz met with the White House borders our Tom Homan today who was dispatched from Minneapolis in the wake of Saturday's fatal shooting. It's the governor's first television television interview since Alex Priddy was killed. I appreciate you being here. I'm sorry to make you stand out in the cold, but I guess you're used to it. Minnesota. Yeah. First of all, the meeting with Tom Homan, how did that go? What are your thoughts on it?

[00:00:19] Speaker 2: Well, Tom Homan's a professional, which is a lot more than Bovino and Kristi Noem. But look, I think the thing we said is we're very clear about this, that we need these folks out of Minnesota and we need justice for Rene Good and for Alex. And those were those were things that we came with. I think the thing that I'm most concerned about is the tone was different. There was a tone shift. I wish it was because of the horrific shooting that somebody saw some morality, but I think it's probably the press. But with that being said, I'm not interested in a more efficient metro surge. I'm I'm ready for them to get out of here. And I think that's what Minnesotans are talking about. So it was it was progress. Look, I never got a call from Bovino or or Noem. Nothing. No, nothing. When they're coming here and Tom Homan landed last night and he called me last night and asked if we could have a meeting and he was there at nine o'clock. So, look, I think it's that's that's progress. But they started this fire. So we're not giving anybody credit for putting it out. But right now, what we need is we need to return to normalcy by these ICE agents out of here. And you've talked about this in all those meetings at the White House and with Tom Homan and his team. Nobody asked about Alex or his family. So I appreciate you bringing that up. This family going through the horror of losing their son and then also to see him slandered like that. It's just not only slight. I'm slandered by the top officials in the administration, people in the world and not taking it back and look for one whole day, certain news stations. That's all they were running. And and that's one of the problems here. Look, Minnesota, they came here. We don't we don't have near the undocumented folks that many other states do. Minnesota is a well-run state. Minnesota is a place where people get along. We welcome immigrant community and they brought this down on us. And I think you're here, Anderson, you're telling your folks it's a siege. It's a siege in all respects. We have children being pulled from their parents. We have elderly people being drug out in this type of cold with no clothes. It's just absolute cruelty.

[00:02:16] Speaker 1: I mean, is it in your mind political that they came here to Minnesota?

[00:02:20] Speaker 2: Yes. Well, there's no other facts for it. They've changed why they're here. Donald Trump himself said, you know, I won that state three times. He didn't. And then I get a letter the other day from Pan Bambi demanding our voting records in this and kind of like, well, we'll send these people out of here if you do that.

[00:02:36] Speaker 1: There was an implication of quid pro quo. Oh, exactly.

[00:02:39] Speaker 2: Amateurish. But that's what they're doing. And they're never going to get those. And states control that. Tenth Amendment. You're seeing all the contradictions. I appreciate you saying this. Second Amendment, Tenth Amendment, every everything else that is no longer there. But the one thing I can say is that come out of this and you've seen it, the strength of the people of Minnesota, the decency of Americans, the ability to care for their neighbors, to be out there. That will last a lot longer than this administration. But I just say right now, it's very disheartening to me to see the president say Kristi Noem is doing a great job. I'm not sure there's been anybody more incompetent or cruel that's ever served in a cabinet position than her. And this is on her. And look, we need to know who these people were. We need these guys brought back here. We need. Well, that's the thing. I mean, you know, we showed up to do an investigation and we're not allowed onto the site.

[00:03:25] Speaker 1: In any normal situation, your state investigators. Would be on the scene, would be working the crime scene, would be in charge of this or at least working with with federal law enforcement.

[00:03:36] Speaker 2: They've developed the trust of the people here and what they come up with. They don't make any judgments on it. They turn it over. A grand jury will then bring indictments.

[00:03:43] Speaker 1: Has Tom Homan made any indication that that'd be something?

[00:03:47] Speaker 2: He said he would call Cash Patel about it. I asked him. I said, that's one of our demands that this happen. I also said, you know, insult the injury. It's just like there's there's a cruelty that runs so deep, it's hard to understand. They opened a federal investigation into Renee Good's wife. And that's still ongoing. And I said, look, you want to send some goodwill to the people of Minnesota. You need to drop that. But he indicated he would do that. I see the president say he's might peel down a little bit when you deal with the president. And I said, I'm in a situation where people say, well, you've got to give him something. You've got to do something. Don't anger him or whatever. It's pretty hard not to be angry when your citizens are being shot. It's pretty hard to be angry when you see the amateurs out here wreaking havoc. And there's no purpose to this. And I think what's really important to tell Americans, Minnesotans believe in law and order. Minnesotans believe that we should have border control. Minnesotans believe in due process, though. And Minnesotans want to know if you say you're going to get the worst of the worst, quit lying about who you're arresting. Tell us who you're arresting.

[00:04:42] Speaker 1: It is shocking just to see. I mean, I you know, we've known for a long time that these guys are wearing masks, but it is now just an army of masked men who seem to be acting with impunity and seem to be. I mean, I can't tell you how many of the videos are there are of them, like cursing out people.

[00:05:00] Speaker 2: Look at the cruelty of it. And up at the Whipple building, if you went up there, the federal building where they're stationed, they come out to get in their car and they taunt these folks. And we finally got to the point where we have to keep order. And it's very difficult when they're undermining order. They create this chaos and then we have to come in and clean it up. So we took over the security of that building when I say we, the state and the National Guard. So instead of those scenes up there, you saw just chaos and smoke grenades or whatever. You saw National Guard with uniforms on with their names, no mask handing out donuts, hot chocolate and coffee. And today I got a request from the protesters up there if they could deliver homemade food to the National Guard who are away from their homes. That's the way this is supposed to work. These are your neighbors. We have a group of folks here, mercenaries who are told we're the enemy. They're kitted up like they're in Afghanistan to do these things. They take seven people to throw Alex on the ground and then shoot him. It's insane. And I appreciate all the news media here is telling it and tell the rest of the country, stand with us on this. This is a stand we have to hold on. They have to leave here. They have to bring these folks to justice and they have to be some accountability to the top levels. Kristi Noem still having a job today is absolutely outrageous.

[00:06:08] Speaker 1: The administration seemingly in cleanup mode over the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretty. To people here, though, the cleanup is not what's wanted. Coming clean is. And signaling a course correction, if that's what the president is in fact now doing, is not the same as doing the right thing. With that in mind, here's the president in neighboring Iowa this evening talking about the new official he sent here and the change he expects to see.

[00:06:32] Speaker 3: We have Tom Holman there now. We put him in there. He's great. And they met with the governor, the mayor, everybody else. And we'll we're going to deescalate a little bit.

[00:06:42] Speaker 1: Deescalate a little bit, he said. That's the president talking to a Fox host about bringing in his borders are Tom Holman to oversee the federal operation here and removing border official Gregory Bovino. The host, Will Kane, followed up with this. Is this a pullback?

[00:06:58] Speaker 3: I don't think it's a pullback. It's a little bit of a change. Everybody in this room that has a business, you know, you make little changes. You know, Bovino is very good, but he's a pretty out there kind of a guy. And in some cases, that's good. Maybe it wasn't good here.

[00:07:13] Speaker 1: So Bovino is out and out there, according to the president, a little bit. And Holman is in. And before leaving for Iowa, the president also seemed to promise answers and accountability in the wake of what Bovino's men did to Alex Pretty just a few blocks from here just days ago.

[00:07:31] Speaker 4: You know, we're doing a big investigation. I want to see the investigation. I'm going to be watching over it. I want a very honorable and honest investigation. I have to see it myself.

[00:07:42] Speaker 1: I'll keep it. I'm honest, though. We've already learned that the investigation will be solely in the hands of the Department of Homeland Security. Neither the Justice Department nor the FBI will be involved. And no one from the state. When asked about DHS, Secretary Christy Noem, the president today said she was doing a, quote, very good job. Tonight, though, House Democratic Leader Kim Jeffries is calling for her firing. Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Tom Tillis are also calling for her departure. They're the first senators from their party to do so. Murkowski is saying it was, quote, probably time for her to go. Senator Tillis, when asked if he had confidence in Secretary Noem, said, quote, no, not at all. I think she should go. He later softened his remarks, but only slightly.

[00:08:23] Speaker 5: Senator, do you have confidence in Secretary Noem? None at all.

[00:08:27] Speaker 6: But do you think Noem should step down? I think Noem needs to decide what.

[00:08:32] Speaker 7: I mean, I think if Noem looks at her body of work, I could not be. If I were in her position, I can't think of any point of pride over the last year. She's got to make her own decision or the president does. But she is taking this administration into the ground on an issue that we should own.

[00:08:48] Speaker 1: Senator Tillis also laid into the president's deputy chief of staff and ultimate point man on immigration and deportation.

[00:08:56] Speaker 7: Stephen Miller never fails to live up to my expectations of incompetence. I can tell you if I were president, neither one of them would be in Washington right now.

[00:09:07] Speaker 1: Well, Stephen Miller, for his part, is weighing in as well tonight, in part about the basis for this inaccurate statement, which both Secretary Noem and Gregory Bovino read just hours after Alex Brady's killing.

[00:09:20] Speaker 5: An individual.

[00:09:21] Speaker 6: An individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a nine millimeter semi-automatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm this individual, but the armed suspect reacted violently.

[00:09:31] Speaker 5: But he violently resisted, fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers.

[00:09:37] Speaker 6: An agent fired defensive shots. Medics were on the scene immediately.

[00:09:42] Speaker 5: Delivered medical aid to the subject, but the subject was pronounced dead at the scene.

[00:09:48] Speaker 6: This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage.

[00:09:53] Speaker 5: Where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.

[00:09:59] Speaker 6: This individual went and impeded their law enforcement operations, attacked those officers, had a weapon on him and multiple dozens of rounds of ammunition, wishing to inflict harm on these officers, coming brandishing like that and impeding their work that they were doing.

[00:10:18] Speaker 1: If either of these public officials had an ounce of decency, they would call up Alex Brady's parents and apologize. Stephen Miller, for his part, called Alex Brady a would-be assassin, also domestic terrorist. Tonight, though, he is saying this, quoting now, the initial statement from DHS was based on reports from CBP on the ground. Additionally, the White House provided clear guidance to DHS that the extra personnel that had been sent to Minnesota for force protection should be used for conducting fugitive operations to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors. We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol. The words I'm sorry and I was wrong were not included.