Karoline Leavitt Absolutely Nukes Reporter Who Tried to Paint ICE as Violent: ‘You’re a Left-Wing Hack’

Conservative News DailyJanuary 15, 2026

At a white House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt called The Hill reporter Niall Stanage a “left-wing hack” after he questioned how Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem could defend ICE given the recent killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis. stanage said an ICE officer acted recklessly and killed Good; Leavitt replied that the question revealed bias and insisted reporters should focus on facts and cases.

The article notes authorities say Good rammed an ICE officer with her car during an operation. Leavitt defended ICE’s actions and cited other cases of Americans allegedly killed by undocumented immigrants (naming Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray) to argue agents are working to make communities safer.

Leavitt also described a separate incident in which an ICE agent shot an undocumented Venezuelan in the leg during a targeted operation after the agent was allegedly ambushed and struck with a shovel or broom; she framed that shooting as self-defense. The exchange, which drew criticism and wider attention on social media, highlighted tensions between the administration, ICE actions, and media coverage.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called a journalist a “left-wing hack” after he accused the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot Renee Good in Minneapolis last week of doing so without justification.

During a Thursday media briefing, The Hill’s Niall Stanage questioned Leavitt about how Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem can defend ICE as performing their job well, when, among other issues, “Renee Good was shot in the head and killed by an ICE agent. How does that equate to them doing everything correctly?”

“Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed?” Leavitt asked in response.

“Are you asking me my opinion?” Stanage replied, and the press secretary said she was.

“Because an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably,” Stanage asserted.

Good was shot by an ICE officer when she rammed him with her car during an operation in Minneapolis last week.

“Oh, OK. So you’re a biased reporter with left-wing opinion,” Leavitt fired back. “Yeah, because you are a left-wing hack. You’re not a reporter. You’re posing in this room as a journalist, and it’s so clear by the premise of your question.”

“And you, and the people in the media who have such biases but fake like you’re journalists — you shouldn’t even be sitting in that seat, but you’re pretending like you are a journalist, a left-wing activist,” she continued.

“The question that you just raised, and your answer, proves your bias. You should be reporting on the facts. You should be reporting on the cases,” Leavitt said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt scolded a reporter who attempted to paint ICE agents as violent during her daily briefing Thursday.

“You’re a left-wing hack. You’re not a reporter. You’re posing in this room as a journalist.”pic.twitter.com/M2NT4CLZ06

— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) January 15, 2026

The press secretary went on to ask Stanage if he knew the number of Americans killed by illegal aliens.

The reporter mostly stayed quiet, but briefly mouthed something as Leavitt made her points.

“I bet you never even read about Laken Riley or Jocelyn Nungaray, or all of the innocent Americans who were killed at the hands of illegal aliens in this country, and the brave men and women of ICE are doing everything in their power to remove those heinous individuals and make our community safer,” Leavitt said.

“Shame on people like you in the media who have a crooked view and have a biased view and pretend like you’re real, honest journalists.”

Leavitt also addressed the shooting of an illegal immigrant in the leg by an ICE officer on Wednesday night.

“This ICE agent was executing a targeted operation against a Venezuelan illegal alien who was unlawfully present in the country … and when this ICE agent tried to detain the individual, three more of his comrades came rushing out of a house and started ambushing and attacking the ICE agent,” she said.

FACTS: SELF DEFENSE ICE SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS LAST NIGHT

“This ICE agent was executing a targeted operation against a Venezuelan illegal alien. 3 more of his comrades came rushing out of a house. They used a shovel or a broom to smash his face in…that agent had to use self… pic.twitter.com/DTGvncoPdh

— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) January 15, 2026

“They used a shovel or a broom to smash his face in,” Leavitt continued. “And so yes, that agent had to use self-defense and take up his weapon to protect his own life.”