By Holmes Lybrand, Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Williams, CNN
(CNN) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced tough questions from Democrats and some Republicans during a hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
Senators grilled Noem about her early descriptions of two US citizens who were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis, her agency’s use of administrative warrants to search homes and private property, her use of executive jets and whether immigration officers will be deployed to polling places ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Noem and several GOP senators criticized Democrats for the ongoing partial shutdown of DHS in a time of heightened security, but while the secretary said the department has started to re-vet some migrants in the wake of the US attacks on Iran over the weekend, she offered no specifics about possible threats as a result.
Here are the takeaways from the hours-long hearing:
Noem defends her early descriptions of Alex Pretti and Renee Good
Noem tried to split hairs during the hearing by claiming she never called Alex Pretti, the man shot and killed by DHS officers in Minnesota earlier this year, a domestic terrorist, but rather said his actions were an act of domestic terrorism.
Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar asked Noem if she had anything to say to Pretti’s parents after calling their son a domestic terrorist.
“I can’t even imagine what they have gone through in the loss of their son,” Noem said, declining for the second time Tuesday when asked to apologize to Pretti’s family.
Noem then defended her comments, saying, “I did not call him a domestic terrorist. I said it appeared to be an instance of” domestic terrorism.
“I think the parents saw what it was,” Klobuchar responded.
In the initial aftermath of the killing of Pretti, Noem was asked at a press conference whether she agreed with White House officials calling Pretti a domestic terrorist and, if so, what evidence she had to support such a claim.
“When you perpetuate violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and perpetuate violence, that is the definition of domestic terrorism,” Noem said at the time.
Shortly after Pretti was killed, Noem also claimed that Pretti had “brandished” a firearm he was carrying when he had been shot. But video of the killing later contradicted that claim, showing his handgun was not visible until officers had already put their hands on him. The gun was taken off Pretti seconds before he was shot.
Earlier during the hearing, she declined to retract her initial descriptions of both Pretti and Renee Good, who was also killed in Minneapolis by DHS officers weeks before Pretti.
In an exchange with Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, Noem called both situations “tragic” and explained that her description of Pretti and Good were based on reports on the ground.
“Do you retract these statements identifying these individuals as domestic terrorists?” Durbin asked.
“When we have these situations happen, we always offer our condolences to these families. These are tragic situations,” Noem said, adding: “We always work to provide the American people with as much information as possible. We’re relying on reports on the ground and agents who are there.”
The Department of Homeland Security came under intense scrutiny over actions in Minneapolis and conflicting accounts provided by senior officials over the deaths of Pretti and Good.
“Is it so hard to say you were wrong?” Durbin asked.
“I absolutely strive to provide factual information,” she said.
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Some of the fiercest exchanges with Noem came from Republican Sens. Tillis and John Kennedy of Louisiana.
Kennedy confronted Noem about