Trump and Gov. Walz Coordinate After Alex Pretti Shooting
Jan. 26 phone call followed the Jan. 24 killing of Alex Pretti; Trump said he would send Tom Homan and Walz sought independent probes.
Epoch TimesTrump Says He’s on ‘Similar Wavelength’ With Gov. Walz
CBS NewsGov. Walz says Trump has agreed to consider reducing federal surge in Minnesota after phone call
Western JournalBREAKING: Trump Says Walz Has Agreed to Fully Cooperate with Feds Amid Crime Crackdown in Minnesota
PBS NewsHourTrump says he talked with Minnesota Gov. Walz after weekend shooting of Alex Pretti
Overview
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Jan. 26 that he had a "very good" phone call with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and that he would send Tom Homan to Minnesota, Walz's office confirmed.
The call followed the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by Customs and Border Protection officers, which Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI are jointly investigating alongside an internal CBP review, records show.
Walz's office said the governor asked Trump to ensure the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension can conduct independent investigations into the shootings and to consider reducing the number of federal agents in the state, officials confirmed.
Operation Metro Surge has deployed federal immigration agents to Minneapolis and St. Paul and is tied to at least two fatal shootings this month, including the Jan. 7 death of Renee Nicole Good, local officials and federal statements say.
Video evidence has contradicted administration characterizations of Pretti's conduct, and former Rep. Trey Gowdy said on Fox News there is "no evidence" Pretti planned to "massacre law enforcement," complicating public accounts and probes.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story skeptically toward the administration by emphasizing a “noticeable shift” in tone, “boiling tensions,” and contradictions between White House characterizations of the shooting and video evidence. Editorial choices highlight Walz’s pushback and cooperation claims while presenting Trump and White House statements as source content, undercut by quoted critics.