Hearing on National Guardsmen Shooting Leads to Tense Exchange
Mississippi’s only Democratic representative, Bennie Thompson, referred to the November 26th shooting of two West Virginia National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., as an “unfortunate accident” during a hearing on Thursday. His comments seemed to downplay the grave nature of the incident that alarmed the nation.
At the House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified alongside others, including National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent and FBI agent Michael Glasheen. They answered questions regarding immigration, terrorism, and other global threats facing the country.
However, Noem did not hold back after hearing Thompson’s description. She firmly corrected him, stating that it was not merely an “unfortunate accident” but rather a deliberate terrorist attack. Following her rebuke, Thompson adjusted his wording to “unfortunate situation” as he tried to continue with his questioning.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed, and her colleague Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. The assailant, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who had been living in Bellingham, Washington, drove across the country to carry out the attack. According to court documents, Lakanwal shouted “Allahu Akbar!” during the incident and fired a barrage of 10 to 15 rounds before being subdued by nearby Guardsmen.
“Madam Secretary, you and the gentleman from NCTC reference the unfortunate accident that occurred with the National Guardsman being killed,” Thompson remarked towards Noem.
“You think that was an unfortunate accident? It was a terrorist attack!” Noem retorted.
Thompson raised a hand, seemingly to ask her to wait until he finished. “Look, I’ll get it straight. Then you can respond,” he said.
“He shot our National Guardsmen in the head,” Noem stressed.
“It was an unfortunate situation,” Thompson insisted, appearing exasperated, adding that Noem had blamed it entirely on President Biden. He then questioned who approved the asylum application for the accused shooter.
“Mr. Thompson, this individual who came into the country…” Noem was beginning to say when Thompson interrupted her once more.
Ignoring Thompson’s interruptions, Noem pointed out that Lakanwal was granted entry to the United States through the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program. She highlighted the need for asylum seekers to check in annually, claiming the Biden administration failed this responsibility.
“Every asylum application is supposed to have a check-in every single year, and the Biden administration failed to do that — they ‘vetted’ this individual, allowed them into our country, and did not do due diligence,” she reiterated.
Thompson countered, asserting that Lakanwal’s asylum had been granted in April 2025, under the Trump administration’s DHS. In response, Noem reiterated that his application underwent insufficient vetting due to the Biden administration’s policies.
“Had we followed the standard operating procedures for special immigrant visas, that individual and none of the ‘Allies Welcome’ people would have come to America: That’s on Joe Biden,” she added.
Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) wrapped up the hearing with remarks that leaned toward Noem’s stance, commending her testimony and echoing her view that the failures in asylum vetting were due to Biden-era policies inherited from the Trump administration.
“Point of order Mr. Chairman, that was a murder that took place in D.C. It was not an unfortunate incident, and those comments are disrespectful,” Garbarino stated.
