Right-Wing Groups Rush to Defend Federal Killings in Minneapolis, Blame Victims and Protesters
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the aftermath of federal agents killing two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, the right-wing echo chamber, including groups like the Capital Research Center, has launched a coordinated smear campaign against the victims, their families, and the largely peaceful protests opposing ICE’s brutality, all to justify the administration’s actions in Minnesota and elsewhere.
In both the killing of Renée Good and that of Alex Pretti — two of several shootings this month at the hands of federal agents — administration officials and right-wing organizations have sought to immediately cast blame on the victims, claiming without evidence that they were seeking to harm law enforcement. These baseless attacks were amplified by CRC Director of Communications Sarah Lee, who blamed the victims, calling Pretti “very foolish” and questioning the motives of his grieving family. By doing this, these groups expose their agenda: defend the administration at all costs by amplifying their false claims to support an extreme agenda and excuse extrajudicial violence in Minneapolis.
See below for a full fact-check of the Trump administration’s false claims.
Fact Checking the Administration’s Claims
The Trump administration and its allies have made several false claims to justify aggressive enforcement tactics.
- CLAIM: President Trump says there are protests and problems in Minnesota because the state refuses to “cooperate” with ICE.
- REALITY: Paul Schnell, Minnesota’s Commissioner of the Department of Corrections, says it is “fundamentally false” that state authorities are not cooperating with ICE. Schnell says that Minnesota “cooperate[s] with ICE and ICE detainers, we have as a matter of policy done that for a long long time.” He further explains that as individuals approach release, “our staff coordinates directly with the local ICE office… on a routine basis.”
- CLAIM: ICE agents in Minneapolis who killed Alex Pretti were defending themselves from a violent protestor with a gun who “resisted arrest.”
- REALITY: Alex Pretti “had no visible weapon,” and “the struggle did not begin because agents ‘attempted to disarm’ Pretti.” The conflict apparently began when he was trying to help two women who were in a confrontation with officers. Pretti’s handgun was discovered only after he was taken to the ground, and he was shot after he was disarmed.
- CLAIM: Kash Patel says that it’s illegal to bring a gun to a protest, while Kristi Noem and Scott Bessent say that Alex Pretti’s possession of a firearm demonstrated murderous intent and made him not a peaceful protestor.
- REALITY: Second amendment groups have said that the argument that carrying a firearm at a demonstration is illegal is “absurd.” The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said “There is no prohibition on a permit holder carrying a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines at a protest or rally in Minnesota.”
- CLAIM: Kristi Noem says that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have encouraged “violence against our citizens and our law enforcement officers.”
- REALITY: While Walz and Frey have criticized the operation and called for ICE to leave Minneapolis, they have both repeatedly urged citizens to demonstrate peacefully. Before the shooting of Alex Pretti, Walz said “If you protest and express your first amendment rights, please do so peacefully as you always do.” After the shooting, Walz said “They think they can provoke us into abandoning our values. They are wrong. We will keep the peace.” Before the shooting, Frey said “We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos. For those that have peacefully protested, I applaud you. For those that are taking the bait, you are not helping.” After the shooting, Frey said “Just yesterday, we saw 15,000 people peacefully protesting in the streets, speaking out, standing up for their neighbors. Not a single broken window, not a single injury. Those peaceful protests embody the very principles that both Minneapolis and America was founded upon.”
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