JD Vance Scolds Media For Prejudging ICE Officer Shooting Of Minneapolis Woman, Even Though He Has Done Just That

The White House dispatched Vice President JD Vance to scold the media over reporting on an ICE agent’s fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman, including prejudging who was responsible, but he himself has done so, even assuming the motives of the victim.

At one point in a half-hour briefing, Vance was asked about his comment, posted on X on Thursday, that the 37-year-old woman was a “deranged leftist.” She was identified as Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three children who recently moved to the city, per the AP.

NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell asked, “Is there a risk, with you describing her as a deranged leftist, talking about very specific facts of these events, when an investigation is just beginning. Are you pre-empting a thorough investigation by drawing such conclusions? And have you received any information, beyond the videos we have seen publicly about this individual, her specific acts, that has informed your point of view?”

Vance replied that the Justice Department is going to investigate the incident, and the Department of Homeland Security is also conducting a probe.

“But the simple fact is, what you see if what you get in this case,” Vance said. “You have a woman who was trying to obstruct a legitimate law enforcement operation. Nobody debates that. You have a woman who aimed her car at a law enforcement officer and pressed on the accelerator. Nobody debates that. I can believe that her death is a tragedy, while also believing it is a tragedy of her own making, and a tragedy of the far left who has marshaled an entire movement, a lunatic fringe, against our law enforcement officers.”

The Trump administration characterized the incident as an act of domestic terrorism.

But there is plenty of debate over what happened and who was to blame, as videos from different angles spread across social media. Many others — Democrats, lawyers and other law enforcement officials — have watched the video with the conclusion that the ICE agent’s life was not at risk and the woman was not trying to ram her vehicle into him, based on the positioning of the tires.

One video of the Wednesday incident shows agents confronting the driver of a maroon colored Honda Pilot. As the driver pulls away, an agent on the left driver’s side of the vehicle fires into it. The vehicle then increased speed before smashing into parked cars nearby.

Earlier, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told reporters, “I don’t have a predetermined notion. Yes, I saw the video. Yes I saw that. But a thorough investigation, we’ll see what happened before that. It will take all factors in, and it will come up with a fair and just conclusion. And we will accept that.”

Walz, though, also quoted George Orwell and his famous line that “the party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final most important directive.”

“It certainly feels like that in this moment,” Walz said.

At the outset of the briefing at the White House, Vance lashed out at the media in general, specifically citing a CNN headline that read, “Outrage After ICE Officer Kills U.S. Citizen In Minneapolis.” Even though that is what happened, Vance chided the media for casting the incident that way.

“This was an attack on federal law enforcement,” Vance said. “This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people. The way that the media by and large has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace, and it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day.”

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins later posted on X, “Vance is attacking CNN for an accurate and straightforward headline about what’s happening in Minneapolis.”

Vance also chided the media for leaving out that the ICE officer had been involved in an incident six months ago where he was dragged by a vehicle. “So you think maybe he’s a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile,” he said.

Those facts, though, are only now just coming to light, including a report on Thursday in the Minnesota StarTribune.

“What that [CNN] headline leaves out is that woman was there to interfere with a legitimate law enforcement operation in the United States of America,” Vance said. “What that headline leaves out is that woman is part of a broader left-wing network to attack, to doxx, to assault and make it impossible for our ICE officers to do their job.”

Some outlets have done their own analysis of what occurred. The New York Times, for instance, presented a feature headlined, “Videos Contradict A Trump Administration Account of ICE Shooting In Minneapolis.” It noted that the vehicle appeared to be turning away from the ICE officer as he opened fire.

He said to the reporters gathered, “Many in this room have been lying about this attack. She was trying to ram this guy with her car. He shot back. He defended himself.”

Vance cited “eyewitness accounts” for his conclusion that she was there “to prevent the enforcement of the law.”

“You should be ashamed of yourselves. Every single one of you,” Vance told the reporters. Other than CNN, he did not cite specific examples of where he found fault with media outlets. Then he took questions.