According to sources, Kristi Noem is passing the blame on Stephen Miller to save her back. As reported by Axios, the DHS Secretary has received calls to be fired following the ICE killing of Alex Pretti in Minnesota. Axios reported that a source relayed how Noem wants to point the finger at Miller instead.
“Everything I’ve done, I’ve done at the direction of the president and Stephen,” the Homeland Security Secretary told the source. The White House Deputy Chief of Staff himself has faced criticism over his comments on the two ICE killings in Minnesota.
Previously, Miller has been accused of saying that anti-ICE protestor Pretti wanted to “massacre law enforcement.” However, he denied saying so, and as it turns out, the statement was actually given by Border Patrol senior official Greg Bovino.
Stephen Miller 3 days ago:
Alex Pretti is a domestic terrorist.
Stephen Miller today:
Fire Kristi Noem. She went rogue!!! pic.twitter.com/pSjs0oOyJx
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 28, 2026
This led to an internal issue as Miller blamed the Customs and Border Protection, an agency that is under Noem’s Department of Homeland Security, for not providing correct information.
“Any early comments made were based on information sent to the White House through CBP,” said Miller. The situation escalated following the Alex Pretti killing in Minnesota.
Shortly after the incident occurred, the Trump administration released a statement led by Stephen Miller. The release mainly included the fact that Pretti was carrying a gun. The source told Axios that as soon as the White House Deputy Chief “heard ‘gun’,” he “knew what the narrative would be: ‘Pretti came to ‘massacre’ cops.'”
Another insider claimed that the officers who were directly involved in the shooting “all shut up and got lawyers real quick, so there wasn’t a lot of information.” Then, the DHS released an official statement on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Others within the White House attempted to clean up the DHS statement prior to it being sent, but it had already been disseminated.”
The White House is in full blown panic mode right now. Kristi Noem is throwing Stephen Miller under the bus, Miller is throwing Greg Bovino under the bus, Republican senators are calling for Noem to be fired… it’s a mess.
And I’m enjoying every second of it.
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) January 28, 2026
Then, Miller in his X post, called Pretti an “assassin.” In a press conference on Saturday, Noem also used similar language. However, on Monday, after a meeting with Donald Trump, she reportedly put the blame on Miller.
“She’s a loyal person, and she wanted her voice heard. She made sure to convey her loyalty,” the source told Axios. Meanwhile, DHS told the Daily Beast, “We have seen a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement. This individual committed a federal crime while armed as he obstructed an active law enforcement operation. As with any situation that is evolving, we work to give swift, accurate information to the American people as more information becomes available.”
