From Would-Be Assassin to Victim of Circumstance

     This entire debacle involving Alex Pretti would be laughable if it didn't involve an innocent man in a morgue.

     Once this administration realized to their shock and awe just how deeply unpopular murdering unarmed Americans in the streets turned out to be, this wrecked clown car has been spinning its wheels and digging itself into an even deeper rut.

     Literally within minutes of Alex Pretti losing his life in Minneapolis to two murderous ICE agents, Kristi Noem did what Kristi Noem does and automatically smeared Alex Pretti's corpse. Greg Bovino claimed Pretti was there to inflict maximum damage upon ICE agents. Then Miller piled on, calling Pretti "a would-be assassin". JD Vance piled on.

     But the questions, the criticism didn't stop. The Pretti and Good murders of this month have actually overtaken the Epstein files in terms of political fallout. A few right wing pundits and a handful of Republican lawmakers have called for investigations while Democrats have demanded hearings, investigations and for Noem to be either impeached or fired.

     Trump started the Pretti pile-on by posting a picture of Pretti's gun, which was taken off him just a few seconds before he was shot 10 times and killed. One agent, seconds after Pretti was murdered, actually clapped his hands as he walked away. Then something strange happened: TACO softened his tone. Suddenly, it was a tragedy, especially after he found out Pretti's parents were fans of his (i.e. losing two voters to which he's no longer entitled).

     Karoline Leavitt refused to amplify Vance's and Miller's claims, saying she was waiting for an investigation. Trump called Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey and started singing Walz's praises. Greg Bovino was kicked out of Minnesota and replaced with Tom Homan, which is hardly an upgrade. The last time anyone saw Bovino, he was stumbling down the Yellow Brick Road on the way to El Centro.

     But don't be fooled by this so-called contrition. This administration only cares about poll numbers and Trump's numbers have taken a hit since Good's and Pretti's murders. We still don't know the identities of the vicious thugs who'd murdered Pretti in cold blood. They and the goons who were with them immediately fled Minnesota like the cowards they are, the administration hiding their identities and protecting them.

     After, again, freezing out Minnesota law enforcement, the FBI and ICE immediately began an "investigation" that was not really an investigation but a review of possible violations of force policies. The idea was to circle the wagons with maximum opacity and not investigate for murder or civil rights violations, which potentially carry the death penalty.

     And replacing Bovino with Homan, when he isn't accepting bribes in fast food takeout bags, is like polishing the brass fittings on the Hindenburg. After singing paeans to Tim Walz, the day after his phone call to Mayor Frey, Trump immediately began raging at the mayor and threatening him.

    This is not contrition, folks. This isn't contrition. This is just a homicidal junta that's barely smart enough to parse the numbers and realize they're not good. They want to keep violating peoples' civil rights, they want to keep murdering ICE's opponents but, darn it, they just can't think of a way to do all that in a way that'll fly with the American people.

    The overall mission hasn't changed. The fascistic devotion to it hasn't dimmed by one watt. There are still thousands of ICE agents in Minnesota and Trump is already balefully casting his jaundiced eyes for the next Democratic-run state and city to victimize.

     The thing that amazes me is the anemic pushback from these Second Amendment types. Disarming a legal gun owner then murdering him in cold blood is, one would think, a 2A advocate's worst nightmare. That was all we heard from them when Obama was president, even though Obama never once even hinted he would disarm Americans of their guns.

     And Idiot America still hasn't realized the rank hypocrisy of Trump and Congressional Republicans calling J6 rioters patriots and political prisoners, with Trump pardoning over 1500 of them his first day back in office. They back the blue, alright, as long as they don't come after them or oppose them.