Vice President JD Vance on Thursday blamed a federal immigration officer’s fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Good on “a left-wing network,” Democrats, the news media and Good, as protests related to her death expanded to cities across the country.
Vance made the remarks during a rare appearance in the White House briefing room and also posted his comments on social media, positioning himself as one of the administration’s most prominent voices assigning culpability while the investigation is still underway.
Good, 37, was shot and killed by an ICE officer on Wednesday as she tried to drive away on a snowy residential street, while officers were carrying out an operation connected to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, according to the report.
At the White House, Vance said he was not worried about prejudging the investigation into Good’s killing. He said of the videos of the incident, “What you see is what you get in this case,” and he said he was certain that Good accelerated her car into the officer. The report said it isn’t clear from the videos whether the vehicle makes contact with the officer.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized Vance’s characterization, telling reporters Wednesday that video of the shooting shows arguments that the officer acted in self-defense were “garbage.”
Vance also expressed sympathy while pointing blame elsewhere. He said part of him felt “very, very sad” for Good and called her “brainwashed” and “a victim of left-wing ideology.” He said, “I can believe that her death is a tragedy, while also recognizing that it’s a tragedy of her own making and a tragedy of the far left who has marshaled an entire movement — a lunatic fringe — against our law enforcement officers.”
The administration’s defense of the officer’s actions was echoed elsewhere in the remarks. The report said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump similarly said the officer’s actions were a justified act of self-defense, and it said Trump told supporters Good “viciously ran over” the ICE officer—while the report said video footage contradicts that claim.
Trump’s broader immigration strategy has included deploying federal law enforcement officials and National Guard troops to support immigration-related operations, and his administration has floated invoking the Insurrection Act to try to stop opponents from blocking plans through the courts, the report said. White House officials also rejected claims from Democrats and Minnesota officials that deploying immigration officers in American cities was inflammatory and needed to end.
Before Vance spoke, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration would “redouble our efforts to get the worst of the worst criminal, illegal alien killers, rapists and pedophiles off of American streets.” She also called the killing “a result of a large, sinister left-wing movement.”
Vance opened his remarks by condemning headlines he said he saw about the shooting and, at times, criticized the “corporate media.” He said, “This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people,” and accused journalists of falsely portraying Good as “innocent,” adding: “You should be ashamed of yourselves. Every single one of you.” He also said: “The way that the media, by and large, has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace,” and that it “puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day.”
When asked what responsibility he and Trump bore to lower tension, Vance said their responsibility was to “protect the people who are enforcing law and protect the country writ large.” He said, “The best way to turn down the temperature is to tell people to take their concerns about immigration policy to the ballot box.”
Vance also announced a new Justice Department prosecution effort, saying the administration was deputizing a new assistant attorney general to prosecute abuse of government assistance programs in response to attention to fraud in childcare programs in Minnesota. He said the position “will be run out of the White House under the supervision of me and the president,” and he said the Justice Department did not immediately respond to questions about the role. He said the prosecutor would focus primarily on Minnesota and would be nominated in coming days, adding that Senate Majority Leader John Thune told him he would seek a prompt confirmation.