Trump’s top immigration adviser is turning on his own team after Kristi Noem pointed the finger at him for the Minneapolis fiasco

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has responded to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after she tried to blame him for the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minnesota. This blame game shows how worried senior officials are about the growing public anger.

According to The Daily Beast, hours after Noem’s comments came out, Miller released a statement trying to shift blame away from himself and onto the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents involved. Noem told a source that everything she did was “at the direction of the president and Stephen.” This is a clear attempt to protect herself by hiding behind the president and her colleague.

Miller quickly fired back. He said the White House gave “clear guidance to DHS” on how to use the extra personnel sent to the area. He said those agents should have been used for “conducting fugitive operations to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.”

Miller suggests agents ignored their orders

Miller then made a major statement: “We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol.” By suggesting the agents ignored orders, he is trying to separate the White House from what went wrong on the ground.

The pressure on both officials is growing quickly. Miller, seen as the main person behind the aggressive immigration crackdown in President Trump’s second term, is feeling the heat. This is a big change from his earlier comments when he called Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, a “would-be assassin.” Critics have called out Miller’s fascist rhetoric in recent weeks. Noem also previously called Pretti a “domestic terrorist.”

Now, officials are trying to take back those harsh statements. Nearly 150 Democratic lawmakers are supporting articles of impeachment against Noem, showing how serious this political crisis has become. Even Republicans are worried. Florida state Republican Rep. Ileana Garcia said what happened was “abhorrent” and believes Miller’s policies could cost the party the midterms.

President Trump is trying to calm things down in Minnesota. He is sending his border czar Tom Homan to replace Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters she hasn’t heard the president call Pretti a terrorist or assassin. She said the president wants to let the facts and investigation lead the way. Miller previously made headlines when he confirmed plans for a Greenland invasion earlier this year.

Despite the public fighting, Noem is working hard to keep her job. She met privately with the president for two hours, and Miller was not included in that closed-door meeting on Monday night. This suggests Noem is trying to get back in the president’s good graces while Miller is blaming the CBP team. However, the White House still publicly supports Miller. Leavitt said, “Stephen Miller is one of President Trump’s most trusted and longest-serving aides. The president loves Stephen.”