Stephen Miller's eye-popping walk-back on slain nurse stuns CNN reporter

One of President Donald Trump's top aides issued a stunning statement on Tuesday, walking back claims he made about slain ICU nurse Alex Pretti shortly after his death, according to a new report

Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy, said shortly after Pretti's death that he attended a Minneapolis protest over the weekend with the intent to "massacre agents." Axios reported on Tuesday that Miller forced Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to use similar talking points about Pretti, including the assertion that he was a "domestic terrorist."

Miller was forced to walk back those claims after the Trump administration faced significant pressure to reform its immigration regime. CNN's Kristen Holmes read his statement on "Erin Burnett OutFront," and described it as "stunning."

"He is essentially conceding or acknowledging that there might have been a breach of protocol when it comes to the shooting of Alex Petti," Holmes said. "And just a reminder, this is the same person who said that Pretti in the aftermath was a would-be assassin."

"This is what the statement says, and he lays this out very clearly," she continued. "He says that 'The White House provided clear guidance to DHS, that the extra personnel that had been sent to Minnesota to force protection should be used for conducting fugitive operations to create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disrupter teams, goes on to say, we are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol.'"

Trump's immigration regime has come under increased scrutiny since Pretti's killing. The administration has reportedly ousted Customs and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino and replaced him with border czar Tom Homan. Trump has also reportedly agreed to de-escalate the situation in Minneapolis, although it remains unclear if troops will be removed from the city.