John Kennedy Accuses Kristi Noem Of Throwing Stephen Miller Under Bus
Noem denied blaming Stephen Miller and defended her handling of information about Pretti.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYThe Daily Caller is an established, identifiable outlet with named authors, but its partisan orientation and limited visible evidence of correction practices warrant a moderate assessment.
- Source type — An established national outlet, though partisan in orientation.
- Author attribution — The article names its author.
- Editorial standards — The story attributes statements to participants and to Axios, but gives limited independent verification.
- Transparency — The page identifies the publisher and author; correction practices are not evident in the article.
The report includes direct quotations from Kennedy and Noem and identifies the Axios report behind the disputed account. It provides some context about earlier statements, but relies partly on anonymous sourcing and offers limited independent verification or broader responses.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The story presents Kennedy’s challenge and Noem’s denials, as well as the reported basis for the accusation. It gives little independent corroboration of the anonymous-source account or wider context for the disputed statements.
- Counterarguments presented — Noem’s denial and explanation are included alongside Kennedy’s questions.
- Source diversity — The account draws on hearing remarks and an Axios report, but offers limited independent sourcing.
- Omitted context — The article provides little additional verification or context about how the disputed information was assessed.
- Loaded language — The headline is charged, while the body is comparatively restrained.
The article largely reports an exchange and attributes disputed claims to their sources. The accusatory headline and emphasis on Noem’s earlier statements add some critical framing, but do not establish a clear partisan direction.
- Language tone — The body is mostly matter-of-fact and attributes the claims it reports.
- Headline — The headline uses the charged phrase “throwing under bus,” while the article presents Noem’s denial as well.
- Source selection — The article includes direct comments from both Kennedy and Noem and describes the reporting behind the disputed quotation.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. John Kennedy questioned DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about reports that she blamed Stephen Miller for statements calling Alex Pretti a domestic terrorist. Noem denied blaming Miller and disputed the account attributed to anonymous sources.
Kennedy confronted Noem during a Tuesday hearing over an Axios report that quoted her as saying she had acted at the direction of the president and Stephen Miller. Kennedy read the reported quote aloud; Noem denied blaming Miller and said she had been working with him and the president to provide information to the public.
The article says Noem had called Pretti’s actions domestic terrorism and said he sought to “massacre” agents. It also recounts that Noem later said she had provided wrong information about Pretti’s death, and that Miller called Pretti an “assassin” in a statement reportedly based on information from Customs and Border Protection.
Community verdict
17 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Homeland Security secretary responding to Kennedy’s questions
Senator questioning Kristi Noem at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Kennedy's version of this story ↗Part of a bigger story
10 OUTLETSSen. John Kennedy questioned Kristi Noem at a Senate hearing about a $220 million DHS ad campaign. President Trump later said he had not approved the spending, and Noem left the department for another government role. Center outlets connect the hearing and conflicting accounts about Trump’s approval to Noem’s departure. Right-leaning outlets foreground Kennedy’s account of Trump’s response and the departure that followed.
- ARTICLES
- 13
- OUTLETS
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- AVG CRED
- 64
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