• Senator Cruz urges Trump administration to adopt more measured tone after two fatal shootings
• Growing number of Republicans call for investigations into Border Patrol tactics
• Video evidence contradicts federal officials’ accounts of Alex Pretti shooting

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — Senator Ted Cruz warned the Trump administration is losing credibility with Americans over its handling of two fatal shootings in Minneapolis, urging officials to “ratchet the rhetoric down” as criticism mounts from both parties.

Speaking on his “Verdict with Ted Cruz” podcast Monday, the Texas Republican criticized the administration’s immediate response to the shootings, particularly after Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, on January 24.

“What I think the administration could do better is the tone with which they’re describing this — that immediately when an incident like this happens, they come out guns blazing. That, ‘We took out a violent terrorist. Hooray!'” Cruz said.

Video Evidence Contradicts Federal Claims

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The Department of Homeland Security claimed Pretti “approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and “violently resisted.” However, bystander videos verified by multiple news organizations contradict this account.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem claimed Pretti arrived to “inflict maximum damage and kill law enforcement.” Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller called him a “would-be assassin” and “domestic terrorist.”

“The problem is—particularly for someone not paying attention—if you’re being told, ‘This is a mom of three’ and there’s no indication she’s waving an ISIS flag, escalating the rhetoric doesn’t help and it actually loses credibility,” Cruz said.

Video analysis shows Pretti holding a cellphone, not a gun, when agents approached. Footage appears to show an officer removing a gun from Pretti’s waistband one second before shots were fired.

Second Fatal Shooting This Month

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Pretti’s death was the second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis this month. On January 7, ICE agents killed Renee Good during Operation Metro Surge.

“The Minneapolis Police Department went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn’t shoot anyone,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Sunday.

Growing Republican Criticism

At least 26 congressional Republicans have called for thorough investigations, according to ABC News. House Homeland Security Chairman Andrew Garbarino expects “full investigation” into the shooting and has invited CBP and ICE to testify before his committee.

“CBP and ICE have already been invited, and I expect each to testify before the Committee in the coming weeks. It is critical that Congress conduct its due diligence to ensure the safety of law enforcement officers and the communities they protect,” Garbarino said.

Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy called for joint state and federal investigation, warning “the credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake.” Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick, a Trump ally, also supported a full investigation.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski urged that a “comprehensive, independent investigation of the shooting must be conducted in order to rebuild trust.”

Trump Shifts Strategy

President Donald Trump dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis and spoke with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey seeking cooperation.

Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who called Pretti a “suspect” intent on “massacring law enforcement,” was stripped of his command.

Gun Rights Debate Emerges

The shootings created unusual tension with GOP support for gun rights. FBI Director Kash Patel said on Fox News that “no one who wants to be peaceful shows up at a protest with a firearm that is loaded with two full magazines.”

Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky pushed back sharply.

“Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence, it’s a Constitutionally protected God-given right, and if you don’t understand this you have no business in law enforcement or government,” Massie said.

Cruz concluded his podcast by calling on both sides to de-escalate.

“Everyone who has anything resembling a conscience is horrified by what’s happening in Minneapolis. What I want to call on everyone to do is just ratchet things down. Ratchet the rhetoric down, ratchet the anger down,” he said.

Will the Trump administration’s shift to a more measured approach restore credibility after two controversial shootings, or has permanent damage been done to public trust in federal immigration enforcement?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from Mediaite’s coverage of Cruz’s podcast, The Hill’s reporting on Cruz’s remarks, ABC News coverage of congressional GOP criticism, CBS News reporting on Republican criticism, The Daily Wire’s analysis of administration divisions, PBS News coverage of the shooting, CNBC’s video analysis, ABC News timeline of the shooting, and The Washington Post’s coverage.

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