Vice President JD Vance Thursday blamed federal immigration officials Minneapolis woman shot to death On the “left network,” Democrats, the news media and the woman who was killed in protests related to her death extended to cities across the country.
The vice president’s rare appearance in the White House briefing room and on social media was the most striking example of the Trump administration’s rapid pursuit of accountability for the 37-year-old’s death. Renee Goode And the investigation is still ongoing. Goode was shot and killed by an ICE police officer as he tried to drive off on a snowy residential street while officers were conducting an operation related to the government’s crackdown on immigration.
Vance said at the White House he was not worried prejudgment survey “What you see is what you get in this case,” he said of Goode’s killing, referring to video of Wednesday’s incident.
Vance said he is convinced Goode sped up and drove toward the officer and struck him. It’s unclear from the video whether the vehicle made contact with the officer. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Wednesday that video of the shooting showed suggestions that the officer acted in self-defense was “rubbish.”
The vice president also said that deep down he felt “very, very sad” for Goode. He called her “brainwashed” and a “victim of left-wing ideology.”
“I can believe that her death was a tragedy while also recognizing that it was a tragedy of her own making and a tragedy of the far left who have organized an entire movement — a lunatic fringe — against our law enforcement officers,” Vance said.
His defense of the officer has been fierce at times, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump have similarly said the officer’s actions were justified in self-defense. Trump said Goode “viciously ran over” the ICE officer, but video footage of the incident contradicts that claim.
Trump has made a broad crackdown on crime and immigration in Democratic cities a centerpiece of his second term. He has deployed federal law enforcement agents and national guard unit Supported the action and proposed the idea of calling rebellion law Opponents trying to stop him went to court to thwart his plans.
Trump officials have made clear they reject claims from Democrats and Minnesota officials that the president’s deployment of immigration officers in U.S. cities is inflammatory and needs to end.
“The Trump administration will redouble its efforts to remove the worst criminals, illegal alien killers, rapists and pedophiles from America’s streets,” White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said Thursday before Vance spoke.
She called Goode’s killing “the result of a massive, sinister left-wing movement.”
Vance was chosen as Trump’s running mate last year in part because of his ability to verbally sparring, especially with the media. He opened his remarks by denouncing the headlines he saw about the shootings, at times raising his voice to denounce the “corporate media.”
“This is an attack on law and order. This is an attack on the American people,” Vance said.
He accused reporters of falsely portraying Goode as “innocent” and said: “You should be ashamed of yourselves. Every single one of you.”
“Overall, the way the media reported this story is an absolute disgrace,” he added. “This puts our law enforcement officers at risk every day.”
Asked what responsibility he and Trump had for de-escalating national tensions caused by the incident, Vance said their responsibility was to “protect law enforcement and protect the entire country.”
“The best way to cool things down is to tell people to take their concerns about immigration policy to the ballot box,” he said.
Vance also announced that the administration would appoint a new assistant attorney general to prosecute abuses of government aid programs in response to growing concerns. Fraud in Minnesota child care programs.
He said prosecutors will focus primarily on Minnesota and will be named in the coming days. Vance added that Senate Majority Leader John Thune told him he would seek immediate confirmation.
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Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin, Will Weissert and Jonathan J. Cooper contributed to this report.