President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal Sunday that his administration was “reviewing everything” regarding the deadly Border Patrol shooting Saturday and would “come out with a determination” soon — but was immediately undercut by his own senior officials, Zeteo reported Monday.
“We’re looking, we’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination,” Trump told the Journal Sunday, referring to the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday — an incident that has sparked outrage across the nation and calls to axe funding for federal immigration enforcement agencies.
According to multiple “senior Trump administration officials,” however, not only was no such investigation underway, but no investigation was expected to be launched at any time during Trump’s second term in office.
“As of Sunday night, numerous sources familiar with the matter, including some senior Trump administration officials, told Zeteo that there is no Justice Department criminal inquiry or civil rights investigation into the officers who killed Pretti,” wrote Zeteo reporter Asawin Suebsaeng.
“None expected one to happen, not while the Trump White House is at the helm. The president, the sources say, still wants to shield immigration agents from legal exposure, and the administration is still committed to smearing many legal observers and activists on the ground as ‘terrorists,’ no matter how ridiculous or depraved that sounds.
Suebsaeng also asked a Trump administration official Sunday whether the Trump administration had any intentions on working to “de-escalate” tensions in Minnesota, where thousands of federal immigration officers continue to conduct chaotic operations.
“Hell no,” the official told Suebsaeng.
Pretti was later identified as being an ICU nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, and, according to his father, was deeply disturbed by the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in his state, including the killing of Minnesota woman Renee Good earlier this month.