The Republican Party is struggling to keep up with the ever-changing narratives coming out of President Donald Trump’s White House.
Politico reported Wednesday that the Republican National Committee (RNC) sent a talking-points memo to surrogates backing up the administration, only for the administration to undermine those same points shortly afterward.
The memo, obtained and posted by Politico, instructed GOP surrogates to blame protesters for trying to incite a riot and for attacking or “aggressively confront[ing] law enforcement.”
The talking points, which were also distributed to administration officials, echoed false claims from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commander Greg Bovino. In his statements after the shooting of ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti, Bovino claimed that Pretti approached federal agents while “brandishing a weapon” and “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
Bovino has since been relieved of his command and sent back to California from Minnesota.
The RNC memo told surrogates to emphasize that “agents attempted to disarm the individual as he violently resisted. Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, a Border Patrol agent fired defensive shots.”
But video footage shows a very different account. Major outlets from the New York Times and Washington Post to the conservative Wall Street Journal have disputed the administration’s version, showing federal agents approaching Pretti, throwing him to the ground, and beating him before opening fire.
Politico wrote that the fast-moving developments “show how the administration and other Republicans scrambled to contain the fallout from the shooting.” The memo also attacks Democrats who want to freeze Homeland Security funding until concessions are made on legislation requiring agents to wear body cameras.
At the same time, many Republican officials have demanded an investigation into CBP and the agents involved. Publicly, the White House insists it still stands behind Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and top aide Corey Lewandowski; privately, some Trump allies are calling for her ouster.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Noem should be “out of a job,” and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) agreed she “should go.”
Asked whether the memo was authentic, RNC spokesperson Kiersten Pels attacked Democrats.
“Democrats incited this violence by encouraging protesters to confront law enforcement,” she said in a statement to Politico.
“Democrats are demonizing ICE and threatening to defund DHS instead of condemning attacks on officers – while President Trump and Republicans stand with law enforcement and public safety," she added.