White House Press Secretary Launches Blistering Attack on Reporter Over Immigration Inquiry
In a heated exchange during Thursday's White House press briefing, Karoline Leavitt, the administration's press secretary, clashed with Niall Stanage, a columnist for The Hill, over the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent. Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed in Minneapolis during a federal immigration enforcement raid on January 7.
Stanage began his question by pointing to statistics showing that last year, 32 people died in ICE custody and 170 US citizens were detained by the agency, before highlighting Good's tragic death. "How does that equate to them doing everything correctly?" he asked Leavitt.
Leavitt responded by accusing Stanage of being a "leftwing activist" who was posing as a journalist. She claimed that his question was biased and that he should be focusing on the issue of immigration from non-citizens rather than criticising the agency's actions. When Stanage clarified that he was simply asking about the agency's performance, Leavitt continued to attack him, calling him a "leftwing hack" and suggesting that he should not be allowed to sit in the press briefing room.
The exchange took a particularly bitter turn when Leavitt appeared to imply that Stanage had not done his research on the subject. She claimed that he had not even read about other cases involving Americans killed by undocumented immigrants, and accused him of having a "crooked view" of the issue.
The Trump administration has faced intense criticism over its handling of ICE and immigration enforcement, with many arguing that the agency's actions are often motivated by partisan politics rather than a genuine concern for public safety. Good's killing has sparked widespread outrage and calls for greater accountability from those responsible.
In a heated exchange during Thursday's White House press briefing, Karoline Leavitt, the administration's press secretary, clashed with Niall Stanage, a columnist for The Hill, over the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent. Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed in Minneapolis during a federal immigration enforcement raid on January 7.
Stanage began his question by pointing to statistics showing that last year, 32 people died in ICE custody and 170 US citizens were detained by the agency, before highlighting Good's tragic death. "How does that equate to them doing everything correctly?" he asked Leavitt.
Leavitt responded by accusing Stanage of being a "leftwing activist" who was posing as a journalist. She claimed that his question was biased and that he should be focusing on the issue of immigration from non-citizens rather than criticising the agency's actions. When Stanage clarified that he was simply asking about the agency's performance, Leavitt continued to attack him, calling him a "leftwing hack" and suggesting that he should not be allowed to sit in the press briefing room.
The exchange took a particularly bitter turn when Leavitt appeared to imply that Stanage had not done his research on the subject. She claimed that he had not even read about other cases involving Americans killed by undocumented immigrants, and accused him of having a "crooked view" of the issue.
The Trump administration has faced intense criticism over its handling of ICE and immigration enforcement, with many arguing that the agency's actions are often motivated by partisan politics rather than a genuine concern for public safety. Good's killing has sparked widespread outrage and calls for greater accountability from those responsible.
I'm so done with press sec's like Karoline Leavitt who think they can just bully reporters into shutting up! Newsflash, Karo: being a "leftwing activist" doesn't mean you're not doing your job, it means you're passionate about the issues that matter! 
And btw, Stanage was just asking a question, no need to get all salty and personal. This whole thing is a total embarrassment for the White House. They should be focusing on fixing their own messes instead of attacking innocent reporters who are just trying to do their job 
the press sec is literally being super aggressive towards someone asking legit questions about ICE... i mean, what's wrong with wanting to know how many americans get killed by ICE agents? 
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And Good's death is just the latest example. It's not like immigration enforcement is always about protecting the country from non-citizens. There are actual human beings involved here.
That just comes across as really personal and petty.
! I mean, come on Karoline Leavitt, attack a journalist who's just trying to do their job? 
It's so unprofessional. Niall Stanage was just doing his research and asking some tough questions, and she responds with personal attacks? 
. Leavitt's all about spin and deflecting questions that make the administration look bad... really classy move 
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Stanage just asked a question and got roasted, no need for all that personal stuff. It's like, we're trying to have a conversation about an important issue here 
not attack each other. And yeah, ICE has some serious accountability issues, it's time for them to be held responsible 
. Like, if you're gonna come at someone with stats and facts, don't have the guts to just attack them personally 
. It's not about being a "leftwing activist" or whatever label she wanted to slap on Stanage, it's about holding people in power accountable for their actions 
. I mean, what did Leavitt have to hide? She should've stuck to the facts and tried to defend the agency's actions instead of trying to discredit the reporter 
. The whole thing was super unprofessional and I'm still fuming about it 
she's basically calling out a journalist and trying to discredit him for doing his job. i mean, come on girl! 
I'm not sure what's more disturbing, the fact that she disrespected him or that she thinks questioning ICE's actions is somehow biased 
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Like what even is Karoline Leavitt's problem? 