Attorney General Pam Bondi warned protesters in Minnesota on Thursday not to obstruct or attack federal law enforcement, while other members of the Trump administration pushed baseless claims about the woman killed by an ICE agent, accusing her of “domestic terrorism.”
In a social media post, Ms. Bondi, the nation’s top law enforcement official, noted that peaceful protest was a “sacred American right,” but she said anyone interfering with federal personnel or damaging federal property will be prosecuted, adding, “Do not test our resolve.”
Speaking at the White House news briefing, Vice President JD Vance reiterated the administration’s line, which has been disputed by Minnesota officials, that Renee Nicole Good was trying to ram the agent with her car and the agent shot her in self-defense. A New York Times video analysis of the incident concluded that Ms. Good appeared to be turning away from the officer as he opened fire.
Mr. Vance also repeated unestablished claims that Ms. Good was part of a “broader left wing network” that used “domestic terror techniques” to target federal agents. He called the media “agents of propaganda” for reports indicating that Ms. Good never put the ICE agent in danger before she was shot. And, without supporting evidence, he added that journalists were “actively covering for people who were committing acts of violence against federal law enforcement.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed that during a news conference in New York City. Specifically, Ms. Noem said officers “commanded” Ms. Good to get out of her vehicle “several times; she did not.” She said the shooter was “an experienced officer who followed his training” and the shooting was caused by “protesters and the violent criminals that were attacking our law enforcement.”
The starkly different interpretations of what happened, according to federal and state officials, come as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said on Thursday that it would withdraw from the investigation after it said federal officials had denied it access to evidence. Gov. Tim Walz, who has criticized the administration’s description of the shooting as “propaganda,” said that “Minnesota must be part of this investigation.”
Liam Stack contributed from New York City.
Zach Montague is a Times reporter covering the federal courts, including the legal disputes over the Trump administration’s agenda.
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