This Is A TOTAL DISASTER For Kristi Noem!

Summary

Bulwark Takes: This Is A TOTAL DISASTER For Kristi Noem!

Release Date: June 5, 2025
Hosted by: Tim Miller and Sam Stein, The Bulwark

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1. Introduction to the Controversial Case (00:00 - 02:00)

Tim Miller opens the episode by discussing a perplexing and alarming story that intertwines the harsh realities of the Trump-era immigration policies with the evident incompetence within the administration. The case in focus involves a fabricated assassination threat against President Trump, which has been manipulated for political gain.

Key Points:

• An undocumented immigrant in Wisconsin, Ramon Morales Reyes, was falsely accused of threatening to kill President Trump.
• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) publicly condemned Reyes, highlighting his capture as a triumph of ICE operations.
• However, the true author of the threat was Dmytryk Scott, an individual facing robbery charges in Milwaukee County.

Notable Quote:

Tim Miller (00:45): "Kristi Noem went on to saying, thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars."

2. Unraveling the Fraudulent Threat (02:01 - 05:00)

Sam Stein delves deeper into the intricacies of the case, emphasizing the deliberate nature of the setup orchestrated by Scott to derail the legal proceedings against him.

Key Points:

• Dmytryk Scott, facing trial for alleged robbery, forged the assassination threat to silence witnesses, specifically targeting Reyes.
• The forged letter falsely identified Reyes as the perpetrator, including misleading details like self-deportation intentions to fabricate an illegal status.
• Kristi Noem and the DHS readily accepted and publicized the fraudulent threat without sufficient verification, showcasing a lapse in due diligence.

Notable Quote:

Sam Stein (02:10): "That's the story that she bought hook, line and sinker. Like the stupidest, stupidest setup."

3. Critique of Kristi Noem and DHS's Response (05:01 - 06:30)

The hosts criticize Kristi Noem's administration and the DHS for their rapid acceptance and promotion of the fraudulent narrative without reassessing the evidence once inconsistencies emerged.

Key Points:

• Reyes, despite being innocent of the threat, remains in custody, highlighting the systemic failure to correct misinformation.
• The DHS has not retracted or corrected the press release, even after recognizing the note as a forgery.
• This reluctance to amend official statements undermines public trust and perpetuates a misleading narrative.

Notable Quote:

Sam Stein (03:19): "It's just important to say it explicitly. The setup worked like the criminal conspiracy worked."

4. Broader Implications on Immigration Policies and Public Perception (06:31 - 07:50)

Tim Miller and Sam Stein explore the larger ramifications of this incident on immigration policies and the portrayal of immigrants in public discourse.

Key Points:

• The incident exemplifies how flimsy or fabricated threats are exploited to further anti-immigration agendas.
• Politicians, including figures like Marsha Blackburn, have echoed the sentiment, using the case to justify stringent immigration measures.
• The misuse of such cases for political gain contributes to the stigmatization of undocumented immigrants and fuels divisive rhetoric.

Notable Quote:

Tim Miller (07:37): "It's all designed to get press releases... They just want out there."

5. Systemic Failures and Calls for Accountability (07:51 - 08:27)

The discussion shifts towards the necessity for skepticism and verification of official statements, emphasizing the need for systemic accountability within agencies like DHS.

Key Points:

• The hosts urge listeners to remain vigilant and critical of official narratives, especially those that seem to align too neatly with political agendas.
• There’s a call for higher standards and accountability mechanisms to prevent the misuse of immigration enforcement for political posturing.
• The ongoing saga serves as a cautionary tale about the potential for abuse within government agencies when oversight is lax.

Notable Quote:

Sam Stein (07:51): "You need to be skeptical of it. Doesn't mean that they're not going to be right, but like you can't."

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Conclusion

Tim Miller and Sam Stein provide a scathing critique of the Trump administration's handling of immigration enforcement, particularly highlighting the misuse of immigration policies for political gain. The fraudulent assassination threat against President Trump serves as a stark example of systemic failures and the dangers of unverified public statements. The hosts call for greater accountability and a more discerning public approach to official narratives, urging listeners to remain informed and critical of the information disseminated by government entities.

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Transcript

[Tim Miller]

Hey, guys. Tim Miller with the Bulwark back here with managing editor Sam Stein. We had a. Just a jarring story that combines kind of the horror of the Trump immigration regime with the absurdity and like, veepish incompetence of the Trump administration all in one package with a little, kind of assassination conspiracy. A little cruelty. Yeah, and a dollop of assassination conspiracy on top. So we're, we're getting a lot there. So the Times story, which we'll put up here, if you want to read the whole thing. An immigrant was accused of threatening to Trump. Prosecutors say he was framed. Here's the short of it. We have an undocumented immigrant in Wisconsin. And the Department of Homeland Security put out a press release saying that this person had threatened to kill the President and then self deport myself back to Mexico. Kristi Noem went on to saying, thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars. Here's the problem. The guy, Ramon Morales Reyes, was not the person who wrote the letter threatening to assassinate the President. It was another guy, Dmytryk Scott, who is apparently a thief, and he was going to be going to trial for an alleged robbery charge. The Milwaukee county prosecutors have called in Reyes to testify against the thief. I guess he had been an eyewitness. And so Scott, the alleged thief, decided that one way to silence the person that was gonna testify against him was to write these letters threatening to assassinate Trump and pretending to be the undocumented immigrant and then saying in the messages like, I'm undocumented. That's why the letter said, I will self deport myself back to Mexico. It said that because he wanted them to know. FYI, blinking light. You Trump administration, you hate these immigrants, you hate the Browns. Go after this gu. And Kristi Noem bought it hook, line and sinker.

[Sam Stein]

I mean, that's the thing. That's the story that she bought at Hook, Line and Sink. Like the stupidest, stupidest setup. I mean, actually, it's not that stupid. It's kind of like perversely disgusting. But whatever. To be duped that quickly and then to run out to the cameras and be like, we got them, we got them. And then to not imagine it just.

[Tim Miller]

Shows how excitable they are. Right, exactly.

[Sam Stein]

Just anything to get in front of a camera and to issue a press release and to talk about how your doing God's work by deporting these people who are threatening, you know, the President and then to have no fucking shame. Or I would say to have no Confidence to admit that you screwed it up and to just restore, try your best to restore balance. They've not done anything like that. In fact, the press release they put out with the forged note, it's a forged note, is up on the DHS website currently as we speak. I mean, think about that. They know this note is a forgery used to set up someone in a, like, criminal conspiracy, and they're not even taking it off the government website. No issue, no correction issued. They're just going to let, let it ride. It's just.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, of course they're going to let it ride because they don't want. Because, because they don't want to do anything that undermines their narrative.

[Sam Stein]

Why is that? Of course? Why, of course, are they going to.

[Tim Miller]

Well, because they don't apologize for anything.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah, but shouldn't we hold them to, like, some standards?

[Tim Miller]

We should, we should. I'm just saying that it's, of course, it's like, it's not surprising, right, because they, they don't want anything to undermine their narrative and they don't really care it was a forgery. They were using this as a PR thing anyway. Do you think these folks were really concerned that, like, the blind letter accusing an assassination like that person was going to come after Trump? I mean, like the real threats to the president, if you're an actual person that is going to try to assassinate the Trump you don't like, Dear sir, I'm an illegal Mexican man and I'm coming to get you.

[Sam Stein]

Here's my address. Come get me first.

[Tim Miller]

That's just not legit. So it was never legitimate thing from the start. And, and they were just using it for PR purposes. And look, look how else they're using to try to intimidate people. This was in the press release. All politicians and members of the media should take notice of how these repeated attempts on President Trump's life and tone down their rhetoric. Just like this fake, like, oh, like you guys need to tone down your rhetoric. I'm saying, being sanctimonious about this, it is what is behind all of the, like, the reason why they have to do cloak and dagger about the assassin and the legit assassin and butler and like, kind of pretend, you know how they play these word games where it's like, oh, they were going to get Trump. They were going to get the Trump because they want to make it seem like these shadowy, you know, far leftists or immigrants or, you know, Palestinian sympathizers were the ones going to have to get Trump when Really, it was just like some white guy that was looking for attention.

[Sam Stein]

Right, right. And then they get you in this situation where you and I and others are out there and we rush to defend this guy who's been clearly set up and his life has been completely upended in dramatic fashion. They get you in a situation. Now we're defending this guy, like, ah. But he has, you know, some associations that are troubling and problematic.

[Tim Miller]

He's been arrested a couple times for other stuff. Sure.

[Sam Stein]

Look at you defending this. He crossed the border illegally and you're defending this guy. And he was involved with this guy who's clearly a criminal. And we don't really know if he didn't write that note. And it's like you get put into a situation where now you're supposed to be defensive when in reality they fucked up, they made the big mistake, they should own up to it. And this is happening all the time where it's like, oh, someone took the wrong turn on a road and didn't have their signal on and they pulled them over. It's like they're out of the country. And it's like, is this really what we're gonna base deportations on? These petty crimes? Or in this case, a completely set up crime? It puts you in an incredible bind if you want to defend the system.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah. The department's statement here about Reyes is he will remain in custody. It's like this guy's obviously go deported because the setup says.

[Sam Stein]

Is there any doubt?

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, no, there isn't any doubt, but it's just important to say it explicitly. The setup worked like the criminal conspiracy worked.

[Sam Stein]

That's the thing. They. They're gonna help this guy get off the. Off the. Not off the charger. They're helping the guy who committed the crime. It's crazy.

[Tim Miller]

It is really something. It's not the best and the brightest in these organizations. And did.

[Sam Stein]

Did you see that gnome is kind of. There's another article out there. That gnome is blowing through her budget. And like, they're really worried about appropriations, but they can't stop spending money because they have to ramp up this shit.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, well, she's getting pressured on this top. On the hill. I mean, like, they're. Again, they're breaking the law. Like, you're not allowed to do this. I asked James Comey about this on the pod a couple weeks ago, and I was like, what was it like at the FBI? Like, if you wanted to spend money on an initiative that it hadn't been appropriated and he was Basically like, look, you have some discretion, you know, within limits. Like there are pots of money that you're like, okay, we can use this. But, but he's like, when it comes right down to it, at the end of the day, if I went way over, I have to go back to Congress or I couldn't do it or we're held, I'm held in contempt, right? They bring me over to Congress and these guys just don't care. So Kristi Noman's like way overspending her budget and like the whole. On a bunch of stuff that is like largely farcical, I mean, and really, and really cruel as well. But also, you know, just a lot of fuck ups.

[Sam Stein]

A lot of fuck ups and photo ops and trips to the border that totally are necessary, you know, dress up at, you know, down in El Salvador. It's like, it's, it's just show. It's all, it's all designed to get press releases.

[Tim Miller]

Marsha Blackburn I saw popped in on this as well. So there's a. No, just a. Just. She was also like, look at, we have to get out this migrant that was trying to assassinate President Trump. I mean, so like there was a follow on effect of this too because that's what they want out there.

[Sam Stein]

I will just encourage people you have, but this puts you, and you should be on guard for any announcement that they make. You just have to be. Because you can't really take what they say at face value. No, you should verify and authenticate and be skeptical of it. Doesn't mean that they're not going to be right. They might be right, but like you can't. Anytime they have an announcement around this stuff from here on out and probably beforehand, you need to be skeptical of it.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, judges and courts are finding that out as well.

[Sam Stein]

Sure.

[Tim Miller]

Okay, brother. There's another update for everybody. Subscribe to the feed. We're monitoring this stuff so you don't have to. And we'll be back here soon, I'm sure with more Elon drama.

[Sam Stein]

So we'll see y' all then probably.