Trump, Vance, and Noem Launch a Preemptive Strike Against the Truth

Please take five minutes to watch these two videos.

First, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Jonathan Ross’ video:

Then watch this New York Times compilation of bystanders’ videos prepared before officer Ross’ video was publicly available

The Facts

Renee Nicole Good was a US citizen, the mother of three, an award-winning poet, and the widow of a military veteran. On Wednesday morning January 7, she dropped her six-year-old son at school and proceeded in her Honda Pilot down Portland Avenue—a one-way residential street in south Minneapolis. Around 10:40 am, she had a brief encounter with ICE officers during which she smiled at officer Ross, who was filming the episode on his smartphone.

“That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you,” she told Ross.

Another officer yelled at her to “get out of the f*cking car” and grabbed her door handle. By then, Ross was standing near the front driver’s side of the Honda. Attempting to avoid him as she drove away, Good turned the steering wheel sharply to the right. Ross fired three shots, and the Honda careened toward a parked car before crashing into it.

ICE officers receive CPR training, but none went to Good’s aid. A physician nearby tried to help, but ICE officers blocked him.

Fifteen minutes later, medics arrived. Shortly thereafter, she died at Hennepin County Medical Center.

The Lies Begin

An hour later, Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement defending Ross and demonizing Good.

According to DHS, “[R]ioters 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.”

The statement continued:

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. The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. Thankfully, the ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called that description of the event “bullsh*t.”

With her press release, Noem had launched a preemptive strike on the truth.

Trump Doubles Down on the Lies

Three hours after DHS’ statement, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social a 13-second clip showing Good’s vehicle smashing into the parked car. It revealed nothing about the events that had led to the shooting.

But that didn’t prevent Trump from embellishing Noem’s false narrative. He said that “the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense.”

Noem and Vance Double Down on the Lies

It’s worth noting that Noem can ill afford the publicity of an ICE officer committing a potential homicide. In December, The Bulwark reported that Trump was considering three candidates to replace her, although the White House denied it.

At 6:00 pm, Noem held a press conference. She said that Good was among a “mob of agitators,” had “weaponized her vehicle,” and committed an “act of domestic terrorism” that justified ICE officers responding with deadly force.

The following morning, Vice President JD Vance—who oozes ambition—called Good a ”deranged leftist who tried to run [the officer] over” and was certain that she had broken the law. He said that the officer was protected by “absolute immunity.” Vance, a Yale Law School graduate, knows better.

Will Patel’s FBI Seal the Deal?

Trump’s Justice Department then excluded Minnesota officials from participating in the FBI investigation into the killing. Noem said that the FBI has “exclusive jurisdiction,” which is incorrect. Minnesota has jurisdiction over state crimes, including potential homicides.

But following the launch of the Trump administration’s false narrative of the killing, barring an objective investigation is the second phase of the preemptive strike against the truth. FBI Director Kash Patel is a fierce Trump loyalist who has likened Trump to a king. But like Noem, he has been the subject of recent reports that his position is precarious. He will fall in line behind the Trump-Vance-Noem false narrative of the event.

Evaluating the Evidence

Vance said that Ross was “doing his job.” Noem insisted that he “followed his training.” Let’s test those claims.

DHS requires its officers to follow these guidelines on the use of force:

1. Respect human life;

2. Deescalate confrontations;

3. Use safe tactics that minimize the risk of personal and property damage; don’t put yourself in a situation where your only alternative is using deadly force;

4. When feasible, give a warning before using force and give the subject a reasonable opportunity to comply;

5. As soon as practicable, obtain appropriate medical assistance for anyone injured;

6. Don’t fire warning shots solely to disable moving vehicles;

7. Use of deadly force must be reasonable in lights of the facts and circumstances confronting the officer;

8. Use deadly force only when you have a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to you or another person; “reasonableness” is an objective standard (“what would a reasonable person in that position do”);

9. Do not use deadly force solely to prevent the escape of a fleeing subject, unless you have a reasonable belief that the subject poses a significant threat of death or serious physical harm to you or others and such force is necessary to prevent escape;

10. Discharging a firearm against a person constitutes the use of deadly force and shall be done only with the intent of preventing or stopping the threatening behavior that justifies the use of deadly force; and

11. Do not discharge firearms at the operator of a moving vehicle… unless the use of deadly force against the operator is justified under the standards articulated elsewhere in this policy. Before using deadly force under these circumstances, you must take into consideration the hazards that may be posed to law enforcement and innocent bystanders by an out-of-control vehicle.

To the same effect are Justice Department guidelines.

In light of the Trump administration’s preemptive strike on the truth, the odds of getting a credible federal probe are slim. Officer Ross fired three shots; each was a use of deadly force. How many guidelines did he violate?

Watch The Minnesota Star Tribune’s analysis that incorporates five videos of the tragedy and decide for yourself.