A leftist member of Congress who downplayed the murder of a member of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., saying it was an “unfortunate accident” and “unfortunate incident,” gets rebuked, and rebuked again.
It was Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, who discounted the terror attack in which an Afghan national, suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, of Bellingham, Washington, has been accused of murder for the death of Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, who was shot in the head in an “ambush.”
Also targeted was U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, who is recovering.
Lakanwal was admitted into the United States during Joe Biden’s catastrophic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He later was approved for asylum.
The conflict erupted during a hearing when Thompson was asking questions of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Thompson called the murder an ” unfortunate accident.”
INSANE. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D) just called the murder of a National Guard member by an Afghan terrorist in D.C. an “UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT.”
This was NOT an “accident.” It was an Islamic terrorist attack.
DISGUSTINGpic.twitter.com/DgCPeJRXQI
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 11, 2025
Social media explained, “This was NOT an ‘accident.’ It was an Islamic terrorist attack. DISGUSTING.”
Thompson said, “You and the gentlemen from the [National Counterterrorism Center] referenced the unfortunate accident that occurred with the National Guardsmen and killed.”
Noem jumped in with, “You think that was an unfortunate accident? … It was a terrorist attack.”
Thompson then claimed he would “get it straight.”
And Noem informed him, “He shot our National Guardsmen in the head.”
Thompson then complained to the chairman to instruct the witness “to allow me to ask my question. It was an unfortunate situation.”
According to Fox, Thompson wasn’t done getting corrected, however. “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 effin’ disrespectful. I expect better,” said Rep. Andy Ogles IV, R-Tenn.
