CNN anchor Jake Tapper did not hold back when he fact-checked Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for putting out false information about a lethal shooting where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killed a U.S. citizen on Wednesday.
ICE agents shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in southern Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was attempting to drive away from a raid. Videos circulated online show the woman trying to wave at agents in an unmarked vehicle before they stopped, exited the vehicle, and approached her. Agents pulled their weapons as the woman attempted to drive away and shot her at least three times.
After the shooting, Noem claimed the agents were attempting to dig their vehicle out of the snow when a protester attempted to run them over with a car.
Tapper fact-checked Noem's claims on "The Lead" on Wednesday, and didn't mince words.
"Obviously, we do not know what the pending investigations will reveal about this shooting, but to anyone with eyes, it's clear Secretary Noem's description is abjectly false," Tapper said.
The shooting happened at a time when DHS had surged more than 2,000 federal agents into Minneapolis following recent reports of welfare fraud committed by members of the local Somali community.
One recent viral YouTube video about child care fraud was found to have been created by Republican operatives, and local reporters have debunked several claims made in the video. The child care centers featured in the video that were accused of fraud were later found to be innocent.
