- Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump’s choice to replace Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has admitted he made a mistake after the death of Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti.
- Mullin was among lawmakers and Trump officials who made disparaging remarks about Pretti after he was shot and killed by Border Patrol during large scale immigration raids in Minnesota. Mullin described Pretti as a “deranged individual” who came to the protest looking to cause maximum damage.
- “I went out there too fast, I was responding immediately without the facts,” Mullin said while being grilled by Senate colleagues during a confirmation hearing Wednesday. “That’s my fault. That won’t happen as Secretary.”
- Fired DHS head Noem immediately labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and refused to apologize for baselessly accusing protesters of committing acts of “domestic terrorism.”
- “Those words should have been retracted,” Mullin said Wednesday. “I regret those statements.”
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