Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin snapped at a reporter who asked a question he didn’t like during a Friday press conference about another ICE agent-involved shooting in New York City.
Mullin delivered the statement after the incident as protestors and local lawmakers demand accountability. Mullin also struggled to get his facts straight, telling reporters at one point that the man shot by agents was “wanted for trafficking.” In fact, one reporter explained, it was “traffic infractions.” Mullin said he knew nothing about the man’s case and pivoted to talk about Joe Biden instead.
At another point, Mullin said that they needed to take the man who broke a traffic law to a maximum-security facility, so they needed to remove him from the state. He wouldn’t say where the man was. Mullin referred to the man as “the worst of the worst,” and emphasized that he was “going after the worst of the worst” several times.
“They’re going to try to make the gentleman they shot the worst human being you’ve ever heard of. But I want you to know that a father picking up his child was shot by a rogue agency controlled by Donald Trump,” warned public advocate Jumaane Williams in a New York City press conference about the incident.
A reporter then asked him about the recent reports about the expensive luxury planes that were purchased under former Secretary Kristi Noem. The fleet of planes was painted as help for deportations, but photos of the planes showed two bedrooms, a stand-up bar, leather chairs, marble showers and other finery.
“This is what I hate about Fake News!” Mullin snapped.
The New York Times reported this week that the person who got the contract for the private planes was a big donor to Noem.
“You guys, you guys, when we’re doing a press conference or something, you guys want to completely steer away when you realize that this isn’t someone that you should be defending and you bring up something as ridiculous as that,” Mullin ranted.
“I’m just — I’m just saying I’m not even going to entertain your question, because that’s not what we’re here for,” Mullin claimed. “That’s not — we’re here for — if you want to add something that’s detained to what we’re having this press for, I’d be happy to do that. Okay? I’ll take this last question because that wasn’t even a question.”
After the final question, he raged, “I’m so tired of it all of a sudden being controversial because it’s a political talking point.”