The Trump administration’s handling of a shooting in Minnesota is drawing increasing blowback from Republicans.
Two Republican senators publicly said Tuesday Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should no longer hold her role following the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti in Minnesota, as the Trump administration’s demonization of Pretti faces growing backlash even among Republicans.
Asked if he had confidence in Noem, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters Tuesday, “No, not at all. I think she should go.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, echoed Tillis, telling reporters a decision on Noem would be up to Trump, “but I think there's got to be a level of accountability,” adding that Noem’s ouster would not just be about the fatal shooting of Pretti. Sen. Rand Paul said the investigation into Pretti’s death should be handled like officer-involved shootings in local police departments,, “I can’t recall ever hearing a police chief immediately describing the victim as a ‘domestic terrorist’ or ‘would-be assassin,’” referencing rhetoric used by Trump officials about Pretti.warned that the shooting—and the Trump administration’s aggressive anti-immigration tactics—risk losing Latino Republican voters and costing the GOP the midterms, tellingpublished Tuesday, writing “the shootings show what the country has been doing is not working” and calling on Congress to “immediately” hold hearings with immigration officials “to promote an honest national conversation.”called the shooting “tragic” and “deeply troubling” in a statement Monday and said a “full and transparent investigation of this officer involved shooting must take place immediately.” Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, Dave McCormick, R-Utah, Todd Young, R-Ind., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Murkowski and Tillis have also called for an investigation into Pretti’s shooting.that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “didn’t do herself any favors when she called this guy a domestic terrorist.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on his podcast Monday, “escalating the rhetoric doesn't help, and it actually loses credibility,” and Curtison X Monday, “I disagree with Secretary Noem's premature DHS response, which came before all the facts were known and weakened confidence.”, R-N.Y., chairs of the homeland security committees, requested testimony from senior officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and Citizen and Immigration Services as part of upcoming hearings to conduct funding oversight, though they did not mention the Pretti shooting in their letters to the officials. Some Republican governors have also broadly criticized the Trump administration’s tactics in enforcing its anti-immigration crackdown in the wake of the shooting, including Gov., R-Vt., who said, “it’s not acceptable for American citizens to be killed by federal agents for exercising their god-given and constitutional rights to protest their government.”, R-Ky., a staunch ally to President Donald Trump, also questioned whether ICE should continue its crackdown in Minnesota, telling Fox News on Sunday, “if the mayor and the governor are going to put our ICE officials in harm’s way, and there’s a chance of losing more innocent lives or whatever, then maybe go to another city and let the people of Minneapolis decide, ‘Do we want to continue to have all of these illegals?’”his administration is “reviewing everything” regarding the shooting, though he declined to say whether the agents acted appropriately. Noem said Sunday on Fox News “every video will be analyzed, everything will be looked at” as part of the investigation into Pretti's death.. Body-worn camera footage worn by agents involved in the shooting is also under review, an unnamed DHS spokespersonPence also wrote, “The American people deserve to have . . . the right to keep and bear arms respected and preserved,” joining other gun rights advocates who have rejected the suggestion from some Republicans that Pretti’s shooting was justified, in part, because he was legally carrying a gun. Some gun rights groups spoke out after Los Angeles-based federal prosecutor Bill EssayliSaturday on social media, “if you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you. Don’t do it!” Gun Owners of America contested the statement, writing on social media, “federal agents are not ‘highly likely’ to be ‘legally justified’ in ‘shooting’ concealed carry licensees who approach while lawfully carrying a firearm. The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting—a right the federal government must not infringe upon.” The National Rifle Association also called Essayli’s comments “dangerous and wrong,” though it placed blame on “radical progressive politicians” it claims have made “calls to dangerously interject oneself into legitimate law-enforcement activities” that “have ended in violence.” Bystander footage shows agents appeared to remove Pretti’s firearm, which he was legally licensed to carry, before he was shot, contradicting the narrative from some Trump officials. Noem described the shooting as “defensive shots” and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino claimed Pretti wanted to do “maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” citing the gun he brought to the protest.Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, was shot Saturday in Minneapolis at a protest against ICE’s immigration enforcement operations in the city. Footage of the incident shows him approaching federal agents with his phone in one hand and the other hand empty. Seconds later, he attempted to block another protester from being pepper sprayed by federal agents before he was also pepper sprayed then pinned to the ground by several agents who appeared to remove his gun before at least 10 shots were heard. Pretti is the second person who has been killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in a matter of weeks. Trump officials also sought to portray Renee Good, who was killed on Jan. 7, as a danger to law enforcement who was attempting to run over an ICE officer, contradicting video evidence. In a statement shortly after Saturday’s shooting, DHS said Pretti “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him. Trump has stopped short of directly blaming Pretti for the shooting and appears to be taking steps to de-escalate tensions, sending Border Czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis and removing Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino. He also spoke with Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Monday and said they had a “very good call” and are on a “similar wavelength” regarding the response to the shooting in Minnesota. First Lady Melania Trump echoed Trump’s softened rhetoric in a rare appearance on Fox & Friends Tuesday, calling for “unity.” She said Trump “had a great call yesterday with the governor and the mayor and they’re working together to make it peaceful and without riots.”
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