Will Saletan: Kristi Noem Cannot Be Trusted to Investigate These Shootings

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Episode: Will Saletan: Kristi Noem Cannot Be Trusted to Investigate These Shootings
Date: January 26, 2026
Host: Will Saletan (The Bulwark)

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Episode Overview

This episode features Will Saletan confronting the actions and public statements of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in light of two recent fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis. Saletan critiques Noem's handling of the cases—particularly her misrepresentation of facts, repeated falsehoods about the victims, and her insistence on leading internal investigations despite overwhelming video evidence contradicting her narratives. The central argument: Noem’s consistent dishonesty disqualifies her from credibly investigating these incidents.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Two Fatal Shootings in Minneapolis

• Incidents examined:
  • The shooting of Renee Goode by an ICE officer (January 7, 2026).
  • The shooting of Alex Preddy by a Border Patrol agent (recently, date not specified).

2. Kristi Noem’s Contradictory and False Narratives

• On Renee Goode:

  • Noem’s claim: Goode attacked officers, attempting to run them over; labeled "an act of domestic terrorism."
  • Video evidence: Goode sits in her car as confronted by officers; officer places himself in front of her vehicle—she tries to leave, not attack.
  • Saletan’s critique:
    • [03:44] “Gnome’s story that this woman attacked the officers as they were trying to get their car out of the snow is a complete lie.”
    • “The officer walks around from her blind side and he puts himself in front of her car. So when she tries to leave, he is trying to block her path. And you can see her turn the wheel to get out. She’s not trying to hit him, she’s trying to leave.” ([04:25])

• Noem doubles down:

  • Keeps repeating the "domestic terrorism" accusation after video is public.
  • [05:15] “She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle and she attempted to run an law enforcement officer over. This appears as an attempt to kill or to cause bodily harm to agents. An act of domestic terrorism.” — Kristi Noem

• Confronted by Media:

  • On CNN, Jake Tapper challenges her narrative.
  • [06:26] “It absolutely is what happened.” — Kristi Noem, doubling down even as video is widely available.
  • [07:25] Noem claims she’d seen the videos and had the facts before her initial statements.
  • [07:40] “She’s telling you. She watched. She watched the videos. She knew the truth. But she sits there four days later and repeats her lies.” — Will Saletan

3. The Second Shooting: Alex Preddy

• Noem’s account:

  • Preddy "approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9-millimeter handgun," resisted disarming, and sought to inflict "maximum damage"—implying a premeditated attack on law enforcement. ([08:25])

• Video evidence:

  • Preddy is shown holding a cell phone, not a gun.
  • Officers push him, spray him with irritant, beat him while on the ground, then shoot him after disarming him.
  • [10:03] “He’s not holding a gun. He’s holding a phone and his other hand is empty.” — Saletan
  • Preddy did have a licensed gun, but never brandished or reached for it.
  • [11:00] Noem again claims Preddy brandished a weapon and assaulted officers, calling it a "violent riot."
  • Noem defines his action as "domestic terrorism."
  • [11:56] "That is the definition of domestic terrorism. This individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation..." — Kristi Noem

• Reality check:

  • Preddy was a nurse caring for military veterans.
  • Noem dismisses all contradicting facts.
  • [12:16] "No, no, those are not the facts. Here is what Fox News reported about Alex Preddy. He was a nurse who took care of military veterans in the icu. But Kristi Noem doesn't care about any of that." — Will Saletan

4. Saletan’s Final Assessment and Takeaways

• Noem repeatedly lies in direct contradiction to video evidence, even when publicly confronted.
• Her labeling of victims as terrorists is unsupported by facts.
• Her insistence on DHS leading investigations despite conflict of interest raises integrity concerns.
• Saletan’s central warning:
  • [12:55] "The one thing we should all be able to agree on is that this woman is an absolutely pathological liar and she shouldn’t have any job in our government, much less running the investigation of this killing." — Will Saletan

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:21] Will Saletan (after Gnome’s initial account):
  “The agents were trying to push out their car and a woman attacked them and tried to run them over. Now here is the video of what actually happened...”

• [05:30] Will Saletan (on Noem’s repeat lies):
  “No, she’s doubling down. She says Renee Goode weaponized her vehicle and tried to run over the officer. And again, she called Goode a terrorist.”

• [07:40] Saletan (on Noem’s knowledge):
  “She’s telling you. She watched. She watched the videos. She knew the truth. But she sits there four days later and repeats her lies.”

• [10:03] Will Saletan:
  “Huh. I didn’t see a gun there. He’s not holding a gun. He’s holding a phone and his other hand is empty. There’s no sign at all that this guy intended to do maximum damage to anybody.”

• [12:55] Will Saletan:
  “...the one thing we should all be able to agree on is that this woman is an absolutely pathological liar and she shouldn’t have any job in our government, much less running the investigation of this killing.”

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Important Timestamps

• [01:36] Episode starts, Will Saletan introduces shooting incidents and premise.
• [02:51] Kristi Noem gives initial false statement on shooting of Renee Goode.
• [03:44] Video evidence contradicts Noem’s narrative.
• [06:06-07:52] Noem confronted on CNN by Jake Tapper; refuses to admit falsehoods.
• [08:25] Noem’s statement on shooting of Alex Preddy.
• [09:10] Video and witness reports contradict Noem’s description.
• [11:00] Noem again labels Preddy a terrorist; persists in dishonesty.
• [12:55] Saletan’s closing argument on Noem’s lack of fitness to investigate the shootings.

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Conclusion

Will Saletan’s commentary is unwavering and direct, focused on exposing the repeated falsehoods spread by Secretary Kristi Noem concerning two controversial fatal shootings by federal agents. Saletan meticulously contrasts Noem's statements against video evidence, arguing that her dishonesty disqualifies her from overseeing any investigation into the incidents. The episode underscores the urgent need for independent oversight and truthfulness from those in positions of power, regardless of one's political viewpoint.

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This summary covers all of the episode's substantive content, preserving the tone and key takeaways for those who have not listened.

Transcript

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[Salatan from The Bulwark]

Salatan from the Bulwark. So we've now had two fatal shootings of American citizens by federal agents in one city, Minneapolis, in the last three weeks. And Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, says her agency, DHS is going to lead and control the investigation of this latest shooting, which again was committed by her own agents. So I want to show you why. Even if you're a Republican or a Trump supporter, or if you fully support immigration enforcement, I want to show you why Kristi Noem and her department cannot be trusted with this investigation. And the reason is that Kristi Noem is a pathological liar. What I'm going to show you is is gnomes statements about what happened in these two shootings compared to what the videos show. And you're going to see. You're going to see her look you right in the eye and lie to you about what's on the videos. Okay, so here's the first clip. This is Nome on January 7, a couple of hours after the shooting of Renee Goode by an ICE officer.

[Kristi Noem]

You asked about a shooting that we just had in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was an act of domestic terrorism. What happened was our ICE officers were out in enforcement action. They got stuck in the snow because of the adverse weather that is in Minneapolis. They were attempting to push out their vehicle and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot to protect himself and the people around him.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

So that's Gnome's account of what happened. The agents were trying to push out their car and a woman attacked them and tried to run them over. Now here is the video of what actually happened. In fact, this is all the video angles put together by the New York Times to give you the complete picture here.

[New York Times Reporter]

The agent's cell phone footage shows he's moving directly in front of the SUV as it's reversing and rotating towards him, initiating a three point turn, apparently to leave. Law enforcement officers are trained to avoid doing this because it puts them in danger and often leads to the use of force against drivers. The cell phone is focused squarely on Ms. Good. She looks down, shifts into drive and begins turning to the right, away from the agent. The other angle shows he's still standing, continuing to maintain his grip on his phone and his gun. And we see a clear and growing gap between his body and the SUV as he fires a second shot and a third.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

So you can see what happened. Gnome's story that this woman attacked the officers as they were trying to get their car out of the snow is a complete lie. The woman is sitting there in her car as the officers confront her. The officer walks around from her blind side and he puts himself in front of her car. So when she tries to leave, he is trying to block her path. And you can see her turn the wheel to get out. She's not trying to hit him, she's trying to leave. Okay, so you might say maybe, Noam. Maybe hadn't seen all these videos yet. Well, later that night she gave another press conference. Did she change her story and admit she got it wrong? No. No. Here's what she said about Renee Good.

[Kristi Noem]

She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle and she attempted to run an law enforcement officer over it. This appears as an attempt to kill or to cause bodily harm to agents. An act of domestic terrorism.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

No, she's doubling down. She Says Renee Goode weaponized her vehicle and tried to run over the officer. And again, she called Goode a terrorist. Okay, so let's give Noem more time to watch the videos and admit that she got it wrong. Here she is on CNN on January 11th. That's four days after the shooting. So by this time, all the video angles are well known. And Jake Tapper gives Noem an opportunity to admit her mistake.

[Jake Tapper]

The first thing you said was, quote, what happened was our ICE officers were out in an enforcement action. They got stuck in the snow.

[Kristi Noem]

Correct.

[Jake Tapper]

Because of the adverse weather that is in Minneapolis. They were attempting to push out their vehicle, and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. That's not what happened. We all saw what happened.

[Kristi Noem]

It absolutely is what happened.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

This is four days later. Noem knows the truth. All she has to do is say, look, the part about how this woman, Renee Goode, attacked the officers when they were trying to get their car out of the snow, I was wrong about that. But Noem looks Tapper right in the eye and says that her fake story is exactly what happened. Also, by this time, there was plenty of information about Renee Goode, and it was super clear that she was just a mom. She was not a terrorist. But Noem repeated that lie, too.

[Jake Tapper]

You said within hours of her being killed, you said that she was a domestic terrorist. How do you define domestic terrorists?

[Kristi Noem]

She weaponized her vehicle to conduct an act of violence against a law enforcement officer and the public.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

And just in case you have any doubt that Noem knew she was lying, here's what she said on CNN about what she knew when she made her original statement.

[Kristi Noem]

I had just been in Minneapolis and had been with those officers, had seen what they were facing on the streets every day, and had talked to their supervisors as soon as the incident happened and had gotten the facts and seen videos before I ever went to talk at that press conference.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

She's telling you. She's telling you. She watched. She watched the videos. She knew the truth. But she sits there four days later and repeats her lies. Here she is again in the same interview.

[Jake Tapper]

I said that your. Your description. They were attempting to push out their vehicle, and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle. Is not what we see on the videotape. And it's not.

[Kristi Noem]

It absolutely is. The facts of what happened on the ground that day.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

Okay, so that's the Renee Good shooting. Now we have another shooting this time it's a Border Patrol agent and he shot Alex Preddy, another American citizen, also in Minneapolis. Here is how Noem described the incident at a press conference on Saturday.

[Kristi Noem]

An individual approached U.S. border Patrol officers with a 9 millimeter semiautomatic handgun. The officers attempted to disarm this individual, but the armed suspect reacted violently. Fearing for his life and for the lives of his fellow officers around him, an agent fired defensive shots. This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

Wow, that sounds really bad. It sounds like this guy Preddy was nuts. He had a plan to inflict maximum damage. He went after the officers with a gun and they had to shoot him. That's Noem's story. Now let's watch the video.

[News Reporter]

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the officer acted in self defense and claims pretty approached Border Patrol officers with a handgun. But videos from the scene show that Preddy was holding a cell phone, not a gun, when he was shot.

[Video Narrator]

Video from this white car shows an up close angle of a federal immigration officer pushing one protester. Then three seconds later, he pushes Preddy. And then as the camera comes into focus, you see the same federal officer push a third protester with the orange backpack. Preddy raises his hand and turns away just as the officer sprays him with a chemical irritant. Preddy is on the ground under them. One officer in a tan beanie can be seen repeatedly striking Preddy's head with a metal can. Then gunfire.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

Huh. I didn't see a gun there. He's not holding a gun. He's holding a phone and his other hand is empty. There's no sign at all that this guy intended to do maximum damage to anybody. Now, to be clear, Preddy did have a gun, like millions of other people, people who are usually defended by conservatives. He had a license to carry a firearm, but he never pulled it out. As you can see in the video, the officers attacked him and they pulled out his gun. And then after they disarmed him while he was pinned down on his back, they shot him dead. But according to Noem, Preddy assaulted the officers.

[Kristi Noem]

This individual showed up to impede a law enforcement operation and assaulted our officers. This is a violent riot when you have someone showing up with weapons and are using them to assault law enforcement officers.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

She's very clear. She says Preddy showed up with weapons and that he used his weapon to assault the officers. And then she says he brandished the weapon.

[Kristi Noem]

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.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

Brandishing. Do you see Preddy brandishing a gun in these videos?

[News Reporter]

Preddy comes face to face with a federal agent and puts his hands up.

[Video Narrator]

Preddy raises his hand and turns away just as the officer sprays him with a chemical irritant.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

And then Noem used the same word she used against Renee Goode. She calls Preddy a terrorist.

[Video Narrator]

The White House has labeled the man who was killed in Minnesota as a domestic terrorist. Is that something you agree with and have you seen any evidence to back.

[Kristi Noem]

Up that 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 fact that.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

No, no, those are not the facts. Here is what Fox News reported about Alex Preddy. He was a nurse who took care of military veterans in the icu. But Kristine Ohm doesn't care about any of that. She's got her story that this guy was a terrorist who brandished a weapon, and she is sticking to it.

[Kristi Noem]

This individual impeded the law enforcement officers and attacked them. State the facts. As they unfolded on the street today. We were doing a targeted operation against an illegal criminal, and this individual came with a weapon and dozens of rounds of ammunition and attacked them.

[Salatan from The Bulwark]

State the facts, she says. Look, it's obvious by now what Kristi Noem is. She's not trying to spin or reinterpret things or change the subject. She is looking you and everybody else right in the eye, and she is lying to you over and over and over again about what we can all see in those videos. So it shouldn't matter whether you're a Democrat or a Republican or what you think about ICE or immigration enforcement. The one thing, the one thing we should all be able to agree on is that this woman is an absolutely pathological liar and she shouldn't have any job in our government, much less running the investigation of this killing. See you next time.