'Lying problem?' Trump's border czar throws Kristi Noem under the bus on CNN
CNN's Sara Sidner pressed President Donald Trump's "border czar" to explain whether the Department of Homeland Security had an agency-wide "lying problem."
The president dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota last month following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents, and the "CNN News Central" host challenged him on a determination by ICE acting director Todd Lyons that two federal officers appear to have lied about a confrontation that ended with one of them shooting a Venezuelan immigrant in the leg.
"What should happen to agents if they lie about what they have done under oath?" Sidnder asked.
"Well, first of all, they'll be investigated by internal affairs and held accountable for any, you know, anything they did outside of policy," Homan said. "But I talked to the U.S. attorney personally on this. They're being investigated and they may be charged with a crime if the evidence shows that they lied under oath and and made up this whole incident, they'll be held accountable. I know the U.S. attorney, I talked to the U.S. attorney and they're all over this."
Sidner then asked if those agents should be fired and charged with a crime if prosecutors determined they had lied.
"If they committed a crime, then they need to be held accountable," Homan replied.
A federal judge found in November that U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino had lied in a deposition about being hit in the head with a rock before deploying tear gas against protesters in the Chicago area, and Sidner asked whether he should be fired or charged for lying under oath.
"If a judge declared he lied under oath, he needs to be investigated, and that's up to CBP," Homan said. "What people need to understand CBP and ICE do not report to me. They report to Kristi Noem, and she'll hold these officers responsible."
Noem claimed that Alex Pretti had brandished a gun before Border Patrol officers shot and killed him, and she accused the slain nurse of being a domestic terrorist, but Sidner said video evidence clearly contradicted her claims about his killing.
"Does your agency, does the entire agency have a lying problem?" Sidner asked.
"Well look, I'm not going to comment on investigation itself," Homan said. "I said from day one, in any of these shootings, that I would not comment on them until the investigation is finished by the FBI, internal affairs. That's the way it should be. We shouldn't prejudge it and, look, I don't know what information the secretary had when she made those statements. I can tell you I didn't make those statements. I would never you know, I don't want influence investigation. I have an opinion, but I won't share my opinion because I want a thorough investigation, and if people violated the law, if people violated policy, again, they need to be held accountable."
"Including Greg Bovino?" Sidner asked. "Do you know if there is an investigation into his lying in a deposition, according to a judge?"
"Well, that would be a question for the secretary," Homan replied. "I don't know."
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