The killing of a US citizen by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis was a five-alarm fire for the Trump administration. But a torrent of untruths, half-truths, smears and innuendo has been unleashed by the White House, and amplified by its social media and cable television acolytes, in an attempt to douse the flames.

Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, called the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, a "stone cold liar" on Thursday for her efforts to falsely portray the victim, Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and award-winning poet, as a "domestic terrorist".