Democratic Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson asserted on Friday that he made a mistake when he referred to the Nov. 26 murder of a National Guardsman as an “unfortunate accident.”
Thompson’s remarks downplaying the attack, which caused West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom’s death, took place during a Thursday House Homeland Security Committee hearing. When “CNN News Central” host Kate Bolduan asked him about the phrase he used, he denied it reflected his sentiment.
WATCH:
“[Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem], in the back-and-forth with you, she called you out when you were speaking and asking her question, and you called the shooting and killing of the National Guard member that happened recently an ‘unfortunate accident.’ You then called it an ‘unfortunate situation.’ The man is charged with first-degree murder,” Boludan said. “Congressman, do you believe it was an accident?”
“Oh, absolutely not. And obviously, let me be clear, I was moving toward the discussion that she could not blame [former President] Joe Biden on the situation because she approved this person’s asylum application,” Thompson responded. “And that’s where we were headed.”
Bolduan asked Thompson if he was claiming he “misspoke.”
“Oh, absolutely,” the Democrat said. “Absolutely.”
Noem immediately pushed back on Thompson when he used the phrase during the hearing.
“You think that was an unfortunate accident? It was a terrorist attack,” she said. “He shot our National Guardsman in the head.”
Republican Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles also expressed outrage about Thompson’s remarks during the hearing.
“That was a murder that took place in D.C. It was not an unfortunate incident,” Ogles said. “And those comments are effing disrespectful!”
The murder was allegedly perpetrated by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered the country in September 2021 following the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Lakanwal previously worked with the CIA and was allowed into the U.S. under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, which resettled Afghans who had helped American forces.
Lakanwal also allegedly shot Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe on Nov. 26. Wolfe was in critical condition, but there have been hopeful updates about his recovery since the shooting.
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