Trump orbit blames FBI for initial response to terrorism: ‘When they fail, Americans die’
Allies of President-elect Donald Trump are condemning him FBI for initially characterizing a brutal car attack in New Orleans as unrelated to terrorism, before the nation’s top federal law enforcement agency picked up the slack and launched an investigation into terrorism allegedly linked to ISIS.
“The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It is imperative that Kash Patel be confirmed as soon as possible,” a source close to Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning.
Chaos erupted on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning as New Year’s Eve revelers partied in the streets. The suspect, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is accused of driving a truck into a crowd on a popular and famous party street, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens of others. Jabbar, who was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle, was killed afterward opening fire on the police.
As details emerged Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials, including the FBI, held a press conference where the special agent initially told the public that the attack was not terrorism-related.
From left to right, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, Kash Patel and President-elect Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
“We will take over the investigation of this event. This is not a terrorist event,” Alethea Duncan, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said during a press conference.
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The mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan at the same news conference, saying the attack was terrorism-related.
“Know that the city of New Orleans was hit by a terrorist attack. Everything is still under investigation. You’ll hear more after me,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who has been in the role since 2018, told reporters.
The FBI released the statements later Wednesday noting that the attack is now being investigated as an act of terrorism, including a report that an ISIS flag was found on a truck that crashed into the crowd.
Chief of Police for the New Orleans Police Department Anne Kirkpatrick makes a statement after a vehicle plowed into a crowd at New Orleans Canal and Bourbon Street on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
“An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential connection and association with terrorist organizations,” one FBI statement said.
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“The FBI is the lead investigative agency and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are aggressively pursuing all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject,” the statement added.
Conservative lawmakers condemned the attack and mourned the victims, while also directing their anger at the FBI for its alleged failures to handle the attack. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a key ally of the Senate Trump’s pick to head the FBI, Kash Patel, has sharply criticized the FBI in a series of messages posted on X, rallying support for Patel’s confirmation to be FBI director.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies work at the scene on Bourbon Street after at least 10 people were killed when a person reportedly drove into a crowd in the early morning hours on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2025, in New Orleans. (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
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“The tragic terrorist attack that killed innocent people in New Orleans is a stark reminder of the importance of strong leadership. America needs a fearless fighter like @Kash_Patel at the FBI,” Blackburn announced on Wednesday.
Blackburn also clashed with the FBI for allegedly turning up at a suspect’s home in Texas after the media had already investigated the property.
“The FBI didn’t show up at the suspect’s NOLA address until 1 p.m. today. We were on the scene before. No one came out of the house or answered the door,” New York Post reporter Jennie Taer posted a message on X on Wednesday.
Blackburn responded to a Post reporter, saying the FBI had “failed” in its mission as the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.
“The fact that a reporter has better information than the FBI tells us everything we need to know. The FBI has failed in its core mission,” Blackburn announced.
When reached for comment about the criticism, the FBI referred Fox Digital to its three previous statements about the attack that described the attack as an act of terrorism, but did not comment on the New Orleans agent who said Wednesday that the attack was not terrorism-related.
“This morning a person drove a car into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing multiple people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then turned himself in to local law enforcement and is now dead. The FBI is the lead investigative agency and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in one of its three statements to Fox Digital.
FBI photo of Shamsud-Din Jabbar. (FBI)
Jabbar was identified as a 42-year-old American citizen from Texas. He was an Army veteran who served as a Human Resources Specialist and Information Technology Specialist from March 2007 to January 2015 and was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.
Trump criticized President Biden and his administration’s policies for the attack.
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“With Biden’s ‘Open Border Policy,’ I have said, many times at rallies, and elsewhere, that radical Islamic terrorism and other forms of violent crime will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe. That time has come, only worse than ever imagined Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
New Orleans police and federal agents are investigating an alleged terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, January 1, 2025. (Chris Granger/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Biden mourned the attack on Wednesday, saying that despite the violence, “our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated.”
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“New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world,” the president said. “It is a city full of charm and joy. So many people around the world love New Orleans for its history, culture and above all its people.”
“So I know, even though this person committed a terrible attack on the city, the spirit of our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated,” he added.
