Tina Smith, Minnesota senator, says Donald Trump administration is 'attempting to cover up' ICE shooting of Renee Good
Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith said Sunday that the Trump administration was "attempting to cover up what happened" in the 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."
Local officials and many Democratic lawmakers have disputed DHS's assessment of the incident.
"You are saying the administration is trying to cover up this shooting. That's a pretty serious charge. What do you mean exactly," Raddatz asked.
"What I mean by that is that you can see everything that they are doing is trying to shape the narrative, to say what happened, without any investigation," Smith said.
Smith went on to criticize the administration for its response to the shooting.
"What I think is essential to keep in mind here is that if we're going to trust the federal government, how can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiassed investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw -- what they think happened."
Smith said she has "seen nothing in any of the eyewitness videos, nor in any of the eyewitness reports from this tragic day, that would suggest that [ Good ] was in any way a threat to these officers."
"Legally, do you think the ICE officer -- certainly said he feared bodily harm. Is that possible in your eyes?" Raddatz pressed.
"It's hard for me, looking at the evidence that I have seen, to imaging how he could feel bodily harm," Smith said.
The FBI is investigating the shooting, but Minnesota officials said that the federal government has cut them out, blocking state agencies from accessing case material.
"And then they bar, from participating in the investigation, the unbiased state investigators who frequently collaborate with federal investigators on -- when there are things that need to be looked into. So, I mean, I think they have just completely destroyed any credibility as they have so quickly rushed to judgement."
The fatal shooting of Good sparked country-wide protests against ICE presence in American cities. In Minneapolis, local officials maintain that the protests have been mostly peaceful.
Here are more highlights from Smith's interview:
Smith: I understand how law enforcement, professional law enforcement, is trained. They are trained to deescalate situations, not make some worse, not make conflict worse. They are certainly trained to step out of the way of a moving vehicle, not place themselves in the middle of a moving vehicle. And no professional law enforcement would like, exchange words or banter with somebody who is engaged in their legal right to protest and then lose control, which is, you know, which looks to me like what happened here.
Smith: Of course it is essential that we have peaceful protests. And what I have been saying to people, in all the opportunities I have when I talk to people on the street is that, that the Trump administration wants to foment chaos and division and fear and even violence. And it is essential that we do not fall into that trap, that our, our strength is in our unity, our strength is in our peaceful demonstrations. And, you know, we will not give in. We will not sort of cave in to the fear and the chaos that they are trying to create, they are creating, but we will meet that with unity and with peace.
