Bulwark editor Sam Stein and podcaster Tim Miller blasted the Trump administration for knowingly deploying a “trigger-happy” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent back onto streets to kill a Minneapolis mother.
That agent, Jonathan Ross, was based out of the agency’s St. Paul field office before he shot Renee Good in the face and killed her Wednesday, setting off a political firestorm and a flurry of defensive accusations from the White House.
Vice President JD Vance slammed the press for covering Ross firing upon the woman as she pulled away in her vehicle, accusing reporters of not being more understanding of the officer’s fear of cars.
“The way that the media by and large has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace and it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day. What that headline leaves out is the fact that that very ICE officer nearly had his life ended, dragged by a car six months ago, 33 stitches in his leg,” Vance told reporters on Thursday. “So, you think maybe he's a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile?”
“The thing that caught my eye was this ICE officer who apparently has been hit before, had 30 stitches, put it in his leg, and according to JD Vance, therefore is justified for being trigger-happy,” said Stein. “I'm sorry, but if you think this guy is trigger-happy because he's been hit by a car, don't put him in a situation like that. That's obvious. Why would you deploy someone who you admit is trigger-happy? It's just totally irresponsible. This administration's entire approach to justifying what happened is impossible, kind of repulsive, but also doesn't make any sense whatsoever.”
Miller, a former Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesperson and ex-speechwriter for President George W. Bush, asked why Ross was standing in front of Good’s vehicle if he has a learned fear of cars in the first place.
“The theory that this guy's trigger-happy because he got run over by a car before, and so goes and walks and stands right in front of the driver of this car and starts screaming — like, the whole thing doesn't [make sense] like that,” Miller said. “You have an obligation as a public servant, as somebody that works for all of us, for starters, to show your face. And No. 2: to use discretion. There should be a higher bar for police than. … I’m just saying a law enforcement official should be better trained.”
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