Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) urged the Trump administration to adopt a more restrained public tone following two fatal officer-involved shootings in Minneapolis, warning that forceful rhetoric issued before investigations are complete can undermine public trust.
Speaking on a recent episode of his “Verdict” podcast, Cruz praised the administration’s efforts on border security and crime reduction but criticized how officials responded publicly to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37-year-old Minneapolis residents who were killed after being shot by federal officers during anti-immigration demonstrations.
“What I think the administration could do better is the tone with which they’re describing this,” Cruz said. “That immediately when an incident like this happens, they come out guns blazing, that we took out a violent terrorist, hurray.”
Cruz argued that such language can be damaging when early facts are unclear. “And the problem is, particularly for someone not paying attention, if you’re being told this is a mom of three, and there’s no indication [that she’s a violent criminal] — You know, she’s not waving an ISIS flag or doesn’t have a suicide vest around her — escalating the rhetoric doesn’t help. And it actually loses credibility,” he said.
He encouraged officials to acknowledge the loss of life and avoid inflammatory statements. “So I would encourage the administration to be more measured, to recognize the tragedy and, and to say, ‘We don’t want anyone’s lives to be lost. And the politicians who are pouring gasoline onto this fire, they need to stop,’” Cruz added.
The comments come amid heightened scrutiny of the shooting of Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the city’s VA hospital, who was killed by a Border Patrol agent on Saturday morning. Shortly after the incident, Department of Homeland Security officials accused Pretti of intending to “massacre law enforcement” and “murder federal agents.”
However, video recorded by bystanders and circulated on social media appeared to contradict that account. Pretti, who was licensed to carry a concealed weapon, was not seen holding a firearm during the encounter. The footage shows an agent removing a concealed weapon from Pretti’s waistband moments before another agent shot him in the back.
The circumstances surrounding both deaths have prompted calls from lawmakers, including some Republicans, for comprehensive investigations. Cruz said he would reserve judgment until investigators complete their work.
“Everyone who has anything resembling a conscience is horrified by what’s happening in Minneapolis. And what I want to call on everyone to do is just ratchet things down, ratchet the rhetoric down, ratchet the anger down. You know, we are a nation and we’re supposed to be one nation,” he said, describing what he characterized as a “deliberate confrontation” between opposing sides.
Cruz criticized what he described as extremes in the national response. “On one side, they view every shooting as an absolute tragedy, as evidence that America has become Nazi Germany,” he said, taking aim at Democratic leaders who have compared federal immigration enforcement to the Gestapo. “On the other side, you see some people that seem pretty eager to celebrate a violent and lethal confrontation with law enforcement,” he added.
The Texas senator described both Minneapolis shootings as tragic. “Anytime you have an American who is killed in a confrontation with law enforcement, it is tragic that a life is lost,” Cruz said. “Particularly in this instance. We now have two people, two Americans, who’ve been killed in confrontations with law enforcement, who, from all appearances, are not violent criminals.”
