House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries became the latest Democrat to suggest that the horrific attack against two National Guard troops the day before Thanksgiving is somehow President Donald Trump’s fault.
In an interview with left-wing MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, Jeffries told host Jen Psaki, who was former President Joe Biden’s first press secretary, that Trump would need to “justify” Guard deployments around the country, though the president has repeatedly stated they are assisting local and state officials with crime control.
“I think the Trump administration is going to have to justify to the American people why these actions are being taken as part of the broader effort to deploy National Guard troops all across the country,” Jeffries said.
“These are reasonable questions that the American people deserve answers to, not simply in the context of the actions that Donald Trump and the Secretary of Defense have taken today, but generally, in terms of understanding what their overall public safety strategy may be in a country where so many Americans understandably have concluded that things are moving in the wrong direction over the last year or so, and that we’ve got to find a better path forward,” he added, using an outdated term for the War Department.
Officials suspect that the Afghan immigrant charged with attacking National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last week became radicalized after he arrived in the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday.
Law enforcement has identified Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, as the individual responsible for the shooting that took place near the White House on Wednesday, resulting in the death of one National Guard member and the critical injury of another, Fox News reported.
“We believe he was radicalized since he’s been here in this country,” Noem told NBC News. “We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were his family members.”
She noted further that U.S. authorities have received “some participation” from people who knew Lakanwal.
Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program initiated by the Biden administration to evacuate and resettle Afghan refugees following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Noem stated that while asylum was officially granted to Lakanwal during the Trump administration in April, the vetting process occurred under the Biden administration. She criticized what she viewed as inadequate screening of Afghans and other foreign nationals during President Joe Biden’s term.
“When this abandonment of Afghanistan happened, the Biden administration put people on airplanes [and] brought them to the United States without vetting them,” Noem said. “They brought them into our country and then said they would vet them afterward.”
“All of that vetting information was collected by Joe Biden’s administration,” she added. “Joe Biden completely did not vet any of these individuals.”
According to Noem, President Trump has implemented measures to enhance the vetting process for incoming immigrants. These measures include reviewing social media activity and checking the individuals with whom they interact.
After the deadly attack on National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., on Thanksgiving Eve, Trump also announced that his administration would impose additional restrictions on migrants seeking to enter the United States. This includes a halt on all immigration from what he referred to as “Third World Countries.”
“The President is absolutely determined to stop all processes at this point in time from third-world countries until we can have a thorough opportunity to go through these individuals,” Noem said.
The attack left one Army National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, dead and an Air National Guard member Andrew Wolfe, 24, fighting for his life. Both are members of the West Virginia National Guard.
