Multiple sources told Axios that ICE Barbie is blaming Stephen Miller after he was fired after receiving a call that an immigration officer killed another U.S. citizen.
“Everything I do is at the direction of the president and Steph,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told a source who relayed her comments to Axios.
In an early copy of the Axios report, others accused Mueller of making divisive comments about slain anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti who wanted to “slaughter law enforcement,” comments made by top Border Patrol official Greg Bovino.
Miller has denied accusations of his “massacre” claims, instead blaming information provided by Customs and Border Protection, part of the Department of Homeland Security led by Noem.
It’s no secret that Stephen Miller is responsible for the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown. /Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“Any early comments are based on information sent to the White House through U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” he told the outlet.
Norm was nicknamed “ICE Barbie” by The Daily Beast for wearing law enforcement cosplay costumes. Noem first sparked a media storm earlier this month after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Minneapolis mother Renee Nicole Good, calling him a “domestic terrorist” within hours of the incident.
As with Goode’s death, Noem faced backlash Saturday for comments she made about Pretty, a Department of Veterans Affairs intensive care unit nurse, whom she also called a “domestic terrorist.”
“This appears to be a situation where one individual arrives on the scene to cause maximum harm to an individual and kills a law enforcement officer,” Noem said at a news conference Saturday.
Kristi Noem says slain ICU nurse Alex Pretti wanted
Pretty, 37, was legally carrying a handgun when he was restrained by multiple federal agents, but video showed he was not brandishing the weapon. In the video, agents can be seen disarming Preeti and then shooting him multiple times as he fell to the ground, killing him.
Miller took the lead as government officials rushed to issue statements shortly after the Saturday morning shooting that included the fact that Pretty was armed.
A source familiar with the press release drafting process told Axios that Miller “heard ‘gun’ and knew what the story was about: Pretty coming to ‘slaughter’ the police.”
Another source with knowledge of the statement said the officers directly involved in the shooting “all shut up and contacted attorneys very quickly, so there’s not a lot of information.”
A framed photo of Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent, is adorned with a rosary. /Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
The Department of Homeland Security shared the statement with X just three hours after the shooting, which was released without full approval from White House officials.
Another source told the outlet: “Others within the White House tried to clear up the DHS statement before it came out, but it was already disseminated.”
Miller, who is known to be the architect behind the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies, called Pretty an “assassin” in an X post shortly after the DHS statement, which was retweeted by Vice President J.D. Vance.
Noem used similar language to Miller at a news conference on Saturday, as did now-ousted Border Patrol Commander-in-Chief Greg Bovino.
Customs and Border Protection Director Gregory Bovino is leaving the Twin Cities amid backlash over the shooting of a U.S. citizen. /Anadolu, Getty Images
Noem met with Trump, 79, at the White House on Monday to discuss the situation with her de facto chief of staff and rumored lover Corey Lewandowski, The New York Times reported.
Notably absent from the two-hour meeting were both Miller and Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, who was sent to defuse tensions in Minneapolis after Saturday’s shooting.
“She is a loyal person and she wants her voice to be heard,” a source told Axios. “She made sure to convey her loyalty.”
Another source told the outlet that Noem had been feeling trapped in the administration and tried to emphasize that she was being guided by Mueller and the president.
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment.
When asked for comment, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Beast: “We saw a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement. This individual committed a federal crime by carrying a weapon and obstructing an aggressive law enforcement operation. As with any developing situation, we work hard to provide prompt and accurate information to the American people as more information becomes available.”
