Sen. Chris Murphy said Sunday the Trump administration’s lies about Saturday’s fatal shooting of a 37‑year‑old man by ICE agents should send shock waves across the nation.
The Connecticut Democrat said the on‑camera shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis undercuts the narrative coming from Department of Homeland Security officials.
“It should freak the American public out that the Trump administration lies this easily — will lie to your face when you can see the evidence for itself,” Mr. Murphy said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
He said attempts by Border Patrol commander‑at‑large Gregory Bovino to blame Mr. Pretti’s death on his own actions are “bone-chilling” and defy reality.
“It takes an unbelievable amount of gall to lie to the American public,” Mr. Murphy said. “Everybody saw that video and yet there he was telling you and telling the American public that this man was brandishing a weapon, that he was impeding officers, that he was there to attend a riot, that he was engaged in assault, when everyone can see that that is not true.”
Democrats have railed for months against President Trump’s immigration‑enforcement efforts, saying the administration is making cities less safe. They say the shooting deaths of Mr. Pretti and Renee Nicole Good earlier this month in Minneapolis prove it.
SEE ALSO: Top Border Patrol official says Alex Pretti to blame for being fatally shot by ICE agents
Mr. Trump, many Republicans and immigration officials, meanwhile, have blamed the violent clashes on what they see as anti‑ICE rhetoric coming from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats.
“The Mayor and the Governor are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric!” Mr. Trump posted Saturday on Truth Social.
Mr. Murphy said that it is “just another lie.”
“Every single day these guys are stone-cold liars,” the senator said. “The leaders in Minnesota are not — and have never — encouraged violence.”
He said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are “not trained for this kind of work” and warned that similar operations could unfold in Philadelphia, Phoenix and other cities.
“So if we don’t stop this in its tracks, what you are seeing in Minnesota, people being killed simply for exercising their First Amendment rights, is going to be a regular feature in this country,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Videos of deadly Minneapolis shooting contradict government statements
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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