Sen. Ted Cruz urged the Trump administration to take a more measured tone in responding to two fatal officer-involved shootings in Minnesota, warning that escalating rhetoric before investigations are completed undermines public trust.
Speaking on his “Verdict” podcast, the Texas Republican praised the administration’s broader crime and border policies but criticized how officials have described the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37-year-old Minneapolis residents killed during demonstrations against federal immigration enforcement.
“What I think the administration could do better is the tone with which they’re describing this,” Cruz said. “That immediately when an incident like this happens, they come out guns blazing.”
Cruz said portraying the shootings in extreme terms before facts are established “loses credibility,” particularly when those killed do not appear to be violent criminals.
“So I would encourage the administration to be more measured, to recognize the tragedy and, and to say, ‘We don’t want anyone’s lives to be lost,’” he said.
Federal officials defended the shooting of Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital, as self-defense, accusing him of intending to harm officers. Bystander video circulating online has raised questions about that account. Pretti was licensed to carry a concealed weapon, authorities have said.
Cruz said he would withhold judgment until investigations are complete and called both deaths “a tragedy.”
“Anytime you have an American who is killed in a confrontation with law enforcement, it is tragic that a life is lost,” he said.
