Answering reporter questions in the restaurant, Trump once again declined to agree with characterizations by his own team of Pretti as a domestic terrorist, claiming not to have heard those comments.
“He shouldn’t have been carrying a gun,” Trump said, adding “I don’t like that he had a gun.” Minneapolis Police has said Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a valid permit to carry a firearm. The assertion that he should not have carried a gun has drawn significant pushback from pro-second amendment groups, including the NRA, which are usually in lockstep with Republicans on matters of gun rights.
Even then, he said you’d have to be a “stupid person” not to think what happened to Pretti was “very unfortunate”.
Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and the architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, described Pretti as a “would-be assassin” and a “domestic terrorist” who “tried to murder federal law enforcement”.
Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem claimed Pretti was “brandishing” a weapon, acting “violently” toward officers, which is plainly contradicted by video footage showing that he was holding a phone, not a gun, and was disarmed before he was killed.
Gregory Bovino, who has since left his post as Border Patrol commander, claimed without any evidence that Pretti wanted to “massacre law enforcement” and that the agents were “the victims”.
More than 75% of House Democrats support the impeachment of homeland security secretary Kristi Noem.
The office of...
Answering reporter questions in the restaurant, Trump once again declined to agree with characterizations by his own team of Pretti as a domestic terrorist, claiming not to have heard those commen...