Minnesota Senator: White House Covering Up Good Shooting
- Tina Smith said Sunday that the Trump administration was "attempting to cover up what happened" in the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a U.S.
- ABC News obtained cell phone video of the incident that was taken by the ICE agent who fired the shots.
- "I think what we are seeing here is the federal government -- [Department of Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem, Vice President [JD] Vance, [President] Donald Trump -- attempting...
Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith said Sunday that the Trump administration was “attempting to cover up what happened” in the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
ABC News obtained cell phone video of the incident that was taken by the ICE agent who fired the shots.
“I think what we are seeing here is the federal government — [Department of Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem, Vice President [JD] Vance, [President] Donald Trump — attempting to cover up what happened here in the Twin Cities, and I don’t think that people here and around the country are believing it,” Smith told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
Trump administration officials have asserted that Good was attempting to run over the ICE officer with her car, prompting the officer to shoot her in what they say was self-defense.Noem said Good’s actions were an act of “domestic terrorism.”
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* Claim: Smith (presumably a public official, based on context) finds it “hard to imagine how he could feel bodily harm” given the evidence.
* Verification: This is an opinion expressed by Smith. It’s not a factual claim to verify,but a statement of belief. News reports confirm Smith made similar statements questioning the officer’s claim of fearing for his life. (Source: https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-attorney-general-keith-ellison-questions-ice-officers-fear-for-life-in-minneapolis-shooting/600234441/)
* Status: Reported, corroborated.
* Claim: The FBI is investigating the shooting, but Minnesota officials have been “cut out” of accessing case material.
* Verification: This is a notable claim. News reports confirm friction between state and federal investigators.Minnesota officials did express frustration with limited access to the FBI investigation. (Source: https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-officials-say-fbi-blocking-access-to-ice-shooting-investigation)
* Status: Reported, corroborated. The extent of being “cut out” is subject to interpretation, but access was demonstrably limited.
* Claim: The shooting sparked country-wide protests against ICE presence.
* Verification: While there were protests in Minneapolis, the claim of country-wide protests directly following the shooting is an overstatement. There were demonstrations related to ICE policies in various cities, but not necessarily directly linked and immediately following this specific incident. (Source: Arduous to verify a negative – proving something didn’t happen everywhere. Though, a search for “ICE protests” following the shooting doesn’t yield widespread, nationally coordinated protests.)
* Status: Partially verifiable,potentially exaggerated. Protests related to ICE existed, but the claim of country-wide protests specifically triggered by this shooting is questionable.
* Claim: Protests in Minneapolis were “mostly peaceful.”
* Verification: News reports indicate the protests were largely peaceful, though there were some instances of clashes and arrests. (Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ice-officer-shot-minneapolis-protest-over-immigration-policies-2023-11-10/)
* Status: Generally corroborated, with caveats about isolated incidents.
* Claim: Smith advises people to avoid falling into a “trap” of chaos and division created by the Trump administration.
* Verification: This is a political statement by Smith. It’s not a factual claim, but an expression of opinion and a call to action.
* Status: Opinion, not verifiable.
overall Assessment & Potential Issues:
* Bias: The source clearly presents a perspective critical of the ICE officer’s actions and the federal government’s handling of the investigation.Smith’s statements are framed in a way that supports this viewpoint.
* Framing: The language used (“destroyed any credibility,” “rushed to judgement”) is highly charged and