‘Jacqui, Jacqui, Jacqui’: Mayorkas Shuts Down Terrorism Question from Fox Reporter During Hurricane Presser

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas stonewalled Fox News White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich on Thursday, stating he would only take questions about hurricane relief efforts.

Mayorkas fielded questions during the White House press briefing, which he joined remotely from North Carolina. The Tar Heel state was one of several in the southeast to be struck by Hurricane Helene. Since the storm hit, several false rumors have rocketed around right-wing social media – so much so, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency felt compelled to debunk them on its website.

When it was Heinrich’s turn, she asked about an Afghan national who was charged this week with plotting a terrorist attack on election day. The defendant had previously worked for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

“Mr. Secretary, Jacqui Heinrich from Fox,” the reporter said, identifying herself. “A different story, this Afghan national who was working for the CIA in Afghanistan was arrested for planning an election day terror plot. He was brought to the U.S. after Afghanistan collapsed, your agency says, as part of the [Special Immigrant Visa] program. The State Department is telling us he was not part of the SIV program, which has strenuous vetting. They say he was never issued an SIV or immigrant visa, and DHS paroled him into the U.S. They further expect the court document to be updated to reflect this on the DOJ side. So, Mr. Secretary, how was this man brought into the U.S.? What screening did he undergo? What did he apply for to get here?”

Here is the rest of their exchange:

MAYORKAS: Jacqui, I’m here in North Carolina, communicating with the individuals who are still conducting search and rescue operations. Over 200 people have lost their lives in Hurricane Helene. We have reports at least 10 individuals have lost their lives as a result of Hurricane Milton. I’d be very pleased to answer your question in a different setting. But we are here to talk about emergencies and the support we can deliver to people in desperate need. Thank you.

HEINRICH: I understand that, Mr. Secretary, but we are getting conflicting answers from your agency and from the State Department about a man who was arrested for an election-day terror plot. How do you not have those answers prepared?

MAYORKAS: Oh, Jacqui, that’s not what I said. What I said was, I’d be pleased to discuss this issue at a different time. But I am here to speak about disasters that have impacted people’s lives in real time. And that is the subject I am addressing today.

HEINRICH: Mr. Secretary, can you assure people that appropriate steps have been taken to secure the country against these kinds of threats? Because, the outstanding question is whether this man was radicalized before the U.S. government brought him here or afterward. And people should be concerned about that.

MAYORKAS: Jacqui, Jacqui, Jacqui, your persistence in questioning can be matched by my persistence in answers.

Watch above via Fox News.