Noem Spirals When Asked Who Let in Alleged National Guard Shooter
The Trump administration is refusing to face the facts that they are the ones responsible for the suspected national guard shooter’s presence in the country.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was grilled during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Thursday on Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s granted asylum, which was approved in April after she took over as head of the agency.
“You blamed [the shooting of the National Guardsmen] solely on Joe Biden. Who approved the asylum for this same person?” pressed Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson after Noem finally stopped cutting him off for long enough to allow him to ask the question in its entirety.
“Mr. Thompson, this individual that came into the country—,” Noem started deflecting, before Thompson pressed again.
“No. I want to know who approved—” Thompson continued.
But Noem cut him off again. “No, no, no, no. I’m not going to let you—”
When Noem refused to stop talking, Thompson called to reclaim his time. Then the chairman of the committee, Representative Andrew Garbarino, got involved, ordering Noem to stop speaking until Thompson could ask his question again.
“Yes or no, who approved the asylum claim?” asked Thompson, but Noem again blamed the Biden administration.
“I don’t want to file perjury charges against you, but I’m of the opinion that the Trump administration—DHS, your DHS—approved the asylum application,” Thompson said.
THOMPSON: You blamed the shooting of Guardsmen solely on Joe Biden. Who approved the asylum for this same person?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 11, 2025
KRISTI NOEM: This individual that came in---
THOMPSON: No. I want to know who approved----
NOEM: *keeps talking over Thompson*
T: I don't want to file perjury… pic.twitter.com/mRX4sqiUcF
It’s been two weeks since the shooting took place. In that time, Noem has repeatedly thwarted attempts to pin her agency for Lakanwal’s asylum, even though that’s actually what happened. Instead, she has nonsensically claimed that the Biden administration’s vetting process for Lakanwal, which began after he entered the U.S. in 2021, had effectively made her powerless to the ultimate decision regarding Lakanwal’s ability to stay in the country.
Prior to the shooting, there were plenty of well-documented reasons to allow Lakanwal into America. He operated as a foreign partner with America’s intelligence services in Afghanistan, and worked with the CIA as a partner in the country for more than a decade before U.S. troops withdrew from the region. Unfortunately, however, Lakanwal struggled with PTSD as a result of the war, his family told CNN.
He allegedly shot two members of West Virginia’s National Guard on the eve of Thanksgiving. U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries. The other victim, U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, is “slowly healing,” according to his family.