Republican calls for investigation into Alex Pretti shooting in Minneapolis increase
More than a half-dozen GOP senators say there needs to be a probe into the fatal shooting of Pretti, a U.S. citizen, by a Border Patrol agent.
A growing number of Republican senators are calling for an investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis as many Trump administration officials defend federal officers’ actions.
Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Mike Crapo of Idaho, John Curtis of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have all said there needs to be a thorough probe into Saturday's fatal shooting of Pretti, a U.S. citizen, by a Border Patrol agent.
Administration officials overseeing immigration enforcement may soon face public scrutiny from Republicans and Democrats alike.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, on Monday called on the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to testify before his panel at an oversight hearing next month.
Paul sent letters to Todd Lyons of ICE, Rodney Scott of CBP and Joseph Edlow of USCIS requesting their testimony on Feb. 12. All three agencies are part of the Department of Homeland Security, led by Kristi Noem.
Paul, who did not mention the deaths of Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis in his letters, said Congress has "an obligation" to conduct oversight of immigration funds and "ensure the funding is used to accomplish the mission, provide proper support for our law enforcement, and most importantly, protect the American people.”
ICE, CBP and USCIS did not immediately respond to requests for comment and information about whether they intend to appear at the hearing. Paul asked each agency to inform the committee of its availability by Wednesday.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, has also called for testimony from the three immigration officials.
“I take my oversight duties for the department seriously, and Congress has an important responsibility to ensure the safety of law enforcement and the people they serve and protect. I am committed to ensuring ICE, CBP, and USCIS are effectively using the historic resources provided through reconciliation to strengthen public safety, and I look forward to each of these agencies testifying before the Committee,” Garbarino said in a statement Saturday, adding that initial outreach for their testimony took place at the staff level on Jan. 15.
His statement also did not mention the shootings in Minneapolis.
While neither Paul nor Garbarino drew a direct line between Minneapolis and the coming hearings, a Republican senator did just that Monday.
"We must have a transparent, independent investigation into the Minnesota shooting, and those responsible—no matter their title—must be held accountable. Officials who rush to judgment before all the facts are known undermine public trust and the law-enforcement mission," Curtis, R-Utah, said on X.
"I disagree with Secretary Noem’s premature DHS response, which came before all the facts were known and weakened confidence. I will be working with a bipartisan group of senators to demand real oversight and transparency, including supporting calls from @RandPaul for leaders of these operations to testify, so trust can be restored and justice served," he added.
Shortly after the shooting Saturday, Noem accused Pretti of “brandishing” a firearm while “wishing to inflict harm on these officers.” She also said that federal officers “attempted to disarm” Pretti and that he “violently resisted.” Witness videos of the altercation contradict that narrative.
DHS told NBC News on Monday that Pretti’s killing was recorded on body-camera videos, with spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin saying investigators were reviewing video recorded by cameras worn by multiple agents. Noem has said that “every video will be analyzed, everything will be looked at” as part of the investigation into Pretti’s death.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday distanced President Donald Trump from some of the more inflammatory comments made by administration officials about the shooting.
"I have heard the president say he wants to let the facts and the investigation lead itself," Leavitt said at the daily White House briefing.
The office of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Monday that Trump agreed in a call with Walz, a Democrat, to speak to DHS to ensure state investigators can conduct independent probes into the deaths of Good and Pretti.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday on Fox News’ “Hannity” that DHS is leading the investigation into the shooting but that the FBI is supporting “agency partners” there.
Some Republicans calling for a probe cited Second Amendment rights, pushing back against the administration’s argument that Pretti, who was legally licensed to carry a gun, posed a danger to federal officers.
“Lawfully carrying a firearm does not justify federal agents killing an American—especially, as video footage appears to show, after the victim had been disarmed,” said Murkowski, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Homeland Security subcommittee.
Moran, chair of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee with funding jurisdiction over the Justice Department and the FBI, said that he was “deeply troubled” by the shootings in Minneapolis and that the “tragic circumstance should be investigated to the fullest extent to ensure transparency and accountability.”
Crapo, who generally praised immigration enforcement under Trump in his social media post, said on X that he supports “a full and impartial investigation into the events leading up to the death of Alex Pretti.”
“His family, law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment right and the trust of the American people deserve a fair process,” Crapo added.
Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement that Pretti’s “tragic shooting needs to be thoroughly and transparently investigated to determine whether or not excessive force was used in a situation that may have been able to be diffused without violence.”
Tillis called for “a thorough and impartial investigation” into the shooting, calling it “the basic standard that law enforcement and the American people expect following any officer-involved shooting.”
He previously said that as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he was putting a hold on all DHS nominees over Noem’s refusal to go before the panel. The holds are not connected to Good’s death, said Tillis, who made his announcement before Pretti was killed. Tillis said this month that he will release the holds as soon as Noem testifies.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/co...e-homeland-security-committee-rcna256016The natives are getting restless.
