So comes another mess in Minnesota. Why is it always Minnesota?
Oh, right. Dumb question.
The latest flare-up in the “you betcha’!” state is once again dominating the national discussion. There are two pieces to consider relative to this latest: (1). The investigation into the shooting itself'; and (2) The larger context of the actions of Minnesota state officials.
Relative to the shooting: both sides came out swinging, with the Frey camp racing to the mic to make all the usual specious, unhinged claims (before the facts were remotely clear).
That said, I’m not sure a White House response that characterizes the dead man as “a domestic terrorist” helps either.
What DHS definitely DID do right — much to Walz’s chagrin — was to release photos of the gun in question. That is always done in police-involved shootings, and helps to tamp down the left’s reflexive impulse to riot in these cases. That Walz complained about the release of that photo shows he is either utterly clueless or playing games.
Now comes the investigation. Here’s what the FBI unit (likely, the Civil Rights Division) investigating this will be looking at:
What were Pretti’s intentions? Why was he there? Why did he interfere with ICE? Is there any indicia online, in his communications, his phone, etc, that demonstrate what he intended on doing?
Who is the woman who he was either with or he encountered? Was he trying to protect her, or did he get confused during the initial stages of the fracas and actually begin fighting with her (as it does look at points)? Has she been interviewed?
Why was he carrying a gun that day when his family says he “was never known to carry it”? Why the extra magazines and no identification?
Did Pretti in fact pull the gun out as he was being taken to the ground, as some freeze-frames appear to show? Or is he only holding his phone?
The gun was an expensive Sig Sauer 9mm, known to accidentally discharge. It apparently had a red-dot sight added to it and the barrel appears machined to allow for the addition of a silencer (which is not illegal, but surprising). Why all these add-ons? Did he have a silencer on him? At home?
Why was Pretti not carrying any ID? Under Minnesota law, it is required to carry both ID and the permit when carrying a “pistol” in public.
Further to the gun: Had the trigger-pull been altered? The standard trigger-pull for a gun of this type appears to be six to six-and-a-half pounds (NYPD standard trigger pull is double that — 12 lbs of pressure for the gun to fire. The idea is to cut down on accidental discharges). Did Pretti alter this aspect also? This matters because….
If, as some video appears to show, one of the agents gets the gun away from Pretti, then accidentally fires Pretti’s weapon, a lightened trigger-pull could explain why.
Either way, if an accidental discharge is the initiating incident, who fired in response? How many shots?
If indeed that last part proves to be the FACTUAL narrative: the intent issue of any federal crime here is definitely impacted — making any federal criminal charge unlikely.
Will there be a negligence lawsuit? Certainly. But I am not seeing a federal criminal charge.
As for a state investigation, we unavoidably run into the issue of: Investigated by whom? THIS woman? (Just read her bio, at that link. Wow).
Well, then, how about by Minnesota’s “top law enforcement officer” — THIS radical:
A state investigation will be ignored by the feds, and Minnesota’s officials have only themselves to blame. Irrespective of the issues of federal immunity here, the behavior of law enforcement and prosecutors in Minnesota has been beyond the pale. Consider: The husband of one of Ellison’s own deputies was part of the group that invaded the church in St. Paul (more on that soon, from our Legal Editor. The details are astounding).
So: nope, sorry. Minnesota state officials come to any investigation with such blatantly unclean hands, there’s no way Minnesota can reasonably claim that the process would be unbiased.
Any indictment — which federal officers and officials won’t cooperate with anyway — would be removed to federal court, and the case dropped.
And like the actions of Walz, Frey, and Ellison all along here: these Minnesota officials have only themselves to blame.
And Speaking of Keith Ellison….
The guy Minnesotans repeatedly elected to Congress? For 12 years?
This legislative genius was the primary sponsor of exactly ONE bill that was enacted into law: The Money Remittances Improvement Act of 2014.
What did it do?
It made it easier and cheaper for international money transfer companies to operate, especially when sending money overseas.
Keith’s statement at the time? The "passage of the Money Remittances Improvement Act is cause for celebration for all diaspora communities, including the Somali and Hmong communities I am proud to represent in Minnesota."
So when people ask, “Where did that $9 billion go?”… now we know who to ask.
Let’s hope DOJ does so. Soon.
This Week’s Podcast
In light of yet another ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis, this week’s podcast — recorded a day earlier — couldn’t be more pertinent. And the key question: Is the irresponsible behavior of the Minnesota governor and the Minneapolis mayor criminal?
Whatever the findings of the latest shooting are, the continued incitement by the Minnesota leadership in a highly volatile situation remains a question for federal prosecutors. We know Walz, Frey, and Ellison have all been served subpoenas already. But what is the likely result? Does their behavior relative to ICE really rise to criminal?
Former JAG, federal prosecutor, current defense attorney, and television commentator Andy Cherkasky has seen it all in a courtroom, and then some. He’s here to cut through the noise and break it down.
PLUS: How hard will it be to actually convict Maduro? Not as easy as some might think, alas….
Having worked cases in the military and classified environments, Andy is the perfect person to cut to the chase. This is stuff that takes an expert — someone who’s been there.
So click above for the sizzle… and as ever, HERE for the full Sunday pod.
Caution: Trump’s Gains Could Be Fleeting
When Barack Obama was well into his second term, I thought America was in its worst foreign-policy position since the Carter Administration. Obama began his presidency with the apology tour. We deferred to Europe on major issues. We were stuck in a never-ending war in Afghanistan. Troops were sent back into Iraq to fight the “JV squad,” ISIS. Syria crossed a red line and nothing happened. Benghazi occurred. Russia moved into Crimea. Iran was pissing in our pocket. Libya devolved into civil war.
I thought we would never reclaim our place as the world’s preeminent superpower. The American Era seemed over.
Donald Trump changed that in about 20 minutes. I was shocked by the turnaround. A real estate and construction businessman wielded political power more effectively than any career politician — and did it without starting another war. The world was largely at peace. America was once again the clear leader on the world stage.
There are things not to like about Trump. He is boastful, unwilling (or incapable) of admitting mistakes, insulting, and seemingly erratic. He’s a bully and widely viewed as un-presidential.
Whatever. Those traits might be nice to change, but he wouldn’t be Trump if he did.
And then it was 2020 — and he was gone.
It took about 20 minutes for everything to snap back — and then get worse. America had no leader, and America didn’t lead. The people running Joe Biden (Oppie Award Winner for Mystery Man of the Year) were as vacuous as the man occupying the Lincoln Bedroom most of the day and night.
Biden immediately opened the borders by ignoring immigration law, issuing executive orders that encouraged illegal entry with handouts and freebies. The Trump-negotiated Afghan withdrawal was delayed, then disastrously mismanaged, getting Americans and Afghan allies killed. Russia invaded Ukraine. The Gaza war began. Inflation exploded. Houthis attacked international shipping. It was as if the Trump Administration never happened.
Then Trump was re-elected, and the tide turned again.
If a Democrat is elected in 2028, we’ll do another national 180. The Trump light will be switched off.
Trump should focus the rest of his term on this problem. If he wants a lasting legacy, he can’t allow his gains to be erased with an autopen.
This won’t be easy. Legislation should be introduced before Republicans lose control of Congress. Much won’t pass, but the master of the art of the deal has to try.
Immigration reform should be codified. Trump trade and tariff policies should be written into law. Further tax cuts should be introduced as bills. At minimum, multi-year mandatory funding could preserve economic policies.
EPA rules should be changed so they can’t immediately revert to ineffective “green new scam” mandates.
The deep state at the CIA and State Department must be dismantled. As Trump appointees gain experience, they should remove career bosses who will revert to failed institutional habits once Trump is gone.
DOJ policy should be codified to end haphazard enforcement. Overlapping mandates among FBI, HSI, ATF, Secret Service, and others must be clarified. We have too many three-letter agencies running around out there bumping into each other. And cherry-picked enforcement leads to injustice — and lawfare against political opponents (which Trump now does too).
Some of this is achievable. Some may be tilting at windmills. Congress hasn’t functioned for decades. If Trump can change that, it may be his greatest accomplishment. It may be a bridge too far — but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Trump.
The Sheeple of the Left
Recent protests and political “discussions” in the United States are a remarkable demonstration of the effectiveness of propaganda and social contagion. Every day, thousands of people are convinced to take to the streets to exercise their right to assemble and speak. That is their privilege as Americans.
But something is amiss. Protests, almost exclusively on the left, routinely devolve into riots and attacks on law enforcement. That is a clear sign there are many angry people out there. But why?
What would make someone so angry that they’d go out in Minneapolis on a subzero day to chase down and often violently confront federal officers? Some are ANTIFA types who will show up to anything to advance their anarcho-communist ideas. But many are not. They often appear to be average left-wing Americans. That’s the disturbing part.
On its face, it’s hard to explain. In man-on-the-street interviews, they shout slogans like “abolish ICE.” But anything beyond their canned mantras is met with confusion and rage. Should immigration law be enforced? Should we have open borders? What does that cost the country? There are no coherent answers. They can’t think past what they’ve been told to say. Now two of these protesters are dead.
How does someone who graduated high school — likely college — become angry enough to take to the streets, assault federal officers, and put themselves in physical and legal jeopardy, while being unable to articulate a single coherent reason for being there? Are they just dumb?
This is a commentary on the collapse of rational thought and the power of propaganda. Media outlets and politicians have weaponized it to levels we never thought possible. They make propagandists of the past look like amateurs. It’s disturbing and should force all of us to question our own political assumptions (and our education system).
If you can’t answer a single question about your own beliefs, you should question how those ideas got into your head — or whether they ever did. No one should have that kind of power over your mind.
Rationality has to win if we’re going to have serious conversations about the issues facing this country. Otherwise, we’re in real trouble as a society. Mindless violence is no way to run a nation.
Tim “Hortons” Walz
So the Minnesota National Guard was out in force in Minneapolis – apparently to hand out donuts and coffee to the increasingly violent protestors in that city. Usually, cops don’t take sides in protests and labor disputes. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Tim Walz’s troops. They are feeding the protestors and keeping them warm so they can stay out there longer. We wouldn’t call it material support for terrorism, but it’s getting there.
Despite the widespread outrage of people over Donald Trump’s deployment of national guard troops in Washington by the left, they are now glad to take a cup of joe and a snack from soldiers on America’s streets (see above).
We are sure the rioters and protest and appreciative of the Tim “Hortons” Walz gesture of kindness. It will provide ample energy and a quick sugar rush to get them back in front of ICE vehicles and throwing projectiles at federal officers.
Thanks Tim! You’re really helping.
And finally….
Meanwhile, backstage at Davos….
Guess Denmark didn’t go for the deal.
It’s where the money is laundered.
BTW, what ever happened to Inspector Moss who ran BOSSI back in the 70’s and early 80’s.