A tense exchange occurred at a White House press briefing between Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and journalist Niall Stanage. The discussion focused on the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026.
During the briefing, Stanage pressed Leavitt on Homeland Security claims that ICE is “doing everything correctly,” pointing out that 32 people died in ICE custody in the past year while the agency detained 170,000 U.S. citizens. Leavitt responded sharply, ultimately calling Stanage a “left-wing hack” and accusing him of posing as a journalist.
What Happened at the Briefing?
Stanage questioned Leavitt on the circumstances of Renee Good’s death. He described the shooting by ICE agent Jonathan Ross as “reckless.” Instead of directly answering, Leavitt criticized Stanage, saying:
“You shouldn’t even be sitting in that seat. You’re pretending like you’re a journalist, but you’re a left-wing activist… Shame on people like you in the media who have a biased view and pretend to be real journalists.”
Leavitt also cited other cases involving American citizens killed by undocumented immigrants, asking if Stanage knew those statistics. The exchange highlighted the ongoing tensions between the press and the White House regarding ICE accountability.
Who Is Niall Stanage?
Niall Stanage was born in Ireland and has lived in the United States since 2003. He is currently the White House columnist and associate editor at The Hill, known for his probing questions at press briefings.
Stanage has contributed to media outlets including The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC, and hosts ‘The Niall Stanage Show’ on The Hill’s YouTube channel, which has over two million subscribers.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Oxford University. Stanage also authored Redemption Song: An Irish Reporter Inside the Obama Campaign and was at one point recognized as the “Obama guy” for his reporting during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign.
What Happened to Renee Nicole Good?
Renee Nicole Good, a prize-winning poet, was shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross while sitting in her SUV in Minneapolis. Good, originally from Colorado Springs, had three children and had recently moved to Minneapolis as a legal observer of ICE activities.
Her death sparked protests in multiple U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., El Paso, and Boston, with demonstrators demanding justice. Following the incident, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the deployment of additional Customs and Border Patrol officers to Minneapolis.