Vice President JD Vance suggested that federal law enforcement agents enjoy the same absolute immunity as that bestowed upon President Donald Trump by the conservative U.S. Supreme Court.
The vice president spent Thursday morning justifying the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent the day before in Minneapolis, and he spoke to reporters in the afternoon at the White House briefing room to suggest the victim had committed a crime because she had been influenced by left-wing radicals, including state officials.
"First of all, I wish thestate officials in Minnesotawould investigate why you haveso many people who are usingtheir vehicles and other meansto actually interfere with thelegitimate law enforcementoperation," Vance said. "The precedent here isvery simple. You have a federallaw enforcement officialengaging in federal lawenforcement action."
"That's afederal issue," the vice president added. "That guy isprotected by absolute immunity.He was doing his job."
Federal law enforcement officers generally are granted a partial shield from state prosecution by the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, unless they violate "clearly established" rights.
But the immunity from criminal prosecution that the Supreme Court ruled on in July 2024 refers to the president alone, for official acts taken while in office.
"The ideathat Tim Walz and a bunch ofradicals in Minneapolis aregoing to go after and make thisguy's life miserable because hewas doing the job that he wasasked to do is preposterous," Vance said. "Theunprecedented thing is the ideathat a local official canactually prosecute a federalofficial with absolute immunity.I've never seen anything likethat. It would get tossed out bya judge."
Vance suggested that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz – his vice presidential rival in 2024 – could potentially be targeted for prosecution related to the shooting under a National Security Memorandum defining some left-wing viewpoints as terrorist ideology.
"So what I'd like Minnesota to focus on is thereal issue that they'reencouraging people," Vance said. "Minneapolisofficials are encouraging peopleto commit violence against ICEofficials. It's ridiculous, it's got to stop."