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By Andrew Stanton
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Vice President JD Vance faced liberal backlash over his comments about Renee Nicole Good, the woman who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
Newsweek reached out to Vance’s office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Good, a 37-year-old mother of one, was fatally shot by an ICE officer, fueling scrutiny toward the immigration agency. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has alleged that she attempted to "weaponize" her vehicle against an officer.
Read More on Politics
However, critics have disputed that characterization, arguing that video footage of the shooting shows she was attempting to drive away at the time. President Donald Trump has made immigration a top priority of his administration and has increased ICE presence in Minneapolis in recent weeks.
What To Know
Vance posted about the shooting on X Thursday morning, referring to Good as a "deranged leftist."
"Every congressional democrat and every democrat who's running for president should be asked a simple question: Do you think this officer was wrong in defending his life against a deranged leftist who tried to run him over? These people are going to try to arrest our law enforcement for doing their jobs. The least the media could do is ask them about it," he wrote.
That post sparked backlash from prominent Democrats.
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Jon Favreau, who served as a speechwriter to former President Barack Obama, slammed Vance’s remarks.
"What the f*** is wrong with you?" he wrote. "You have no idea who this woman was. You have no idea what she believed. You have no idea what an actual investigation might show. A 37-year-old American citizen was killed. Her 6-year-old son has been orphaned. Her family and friends are going through the worst moment of their lives. And all you can do is call her a 'deranged leftist'?"
Commentator Brian Krassenstein responded, "Every congressional Republican and every republican running for Office should be asked two simple questions: Why was the tire pointed away from the agent if she wanted to run him over and why is Trump and Vance lying?"
Representative Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, called the post "despicable."
"The video shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that the driver of the vehicle turned her wheels to avoid the ICE agents who surrounded her, screamed profanity at her, and gave her conflicting orders. They escalated the situation, they put the public in danger, they killed her without justification, and they kept firing at her after her car had turned past them. Everyone should ask why the Trump Administration keeps lying about this—why they are telling you to disbelieve your own eyes," he wrote.
Representative Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, wrote to X, "He wasn’t in danger. He violated ICE policy. He should be prosecuted. And the @WhiteHouse is lying to cover up a woman’s murder. That’s the truth @JDVance doesn’t want asked."
Vance said Wednesday that he wants "every ICE officer to know that their president, vice president, and the entire administration stands behind them."
"To the radicals assaulting them, doxxing them, and threatening them: congratulations, we're going to work even harder to enforce the law," he wrote to X.
What People Are Saying
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, responded on X: "Video evidence shows CLEARLY that she was turning the car wheels to avoid hitting the officer! And yet here the VP claims that she was trying to ‘run him over.’ Whether or not the shooting is ultimately deemed legally justified (given broad deference to cops), the VP is wrong."
Representative Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, wrote to X: "Speaking of law enforcement, why weren't you at the anniversary vigil Tuesday honoring the heroism of Capitol Police during the January 6th insurrection, and fallen patriot Brian Sicknick, who was killed protecting our democracy? And yes, your federal henchman was wrong for murdering a mother who was turning away from him, going 3 mph."
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of homeland security, wrote to X: "Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism. An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots. He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers."
What Happens Next
The shooting remains under investigation. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the vice president will join her for a briefing on Thursday.
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