If the U.S. administration’s priority is an honest, fair investigation of the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, there would be no tolerance for angry rants or inflammatory posts on social media. Unfortunately, the political spin cycle is in high gear, as seen in the Jan. 8 White House press briefing by Vice President JD Vance. In his explanation of the murder of Renee Nicole Good, Vance blamed everyone except Ross, the agent who fired the fatal shots.
First, Vance blamed the victim, calling Good’s death “a tragedy of her own making.” Vance said, “You have a woman who was trying to obstruct a legitimate law enforcement operation,” and alleged that Good was intentionally “ramming him [Ross] with an automobile,” which forced Ross to act in self-defense. Vance fully defended the ICE shooter, speaking of the trauma inflicted on Ross in June when he was dragged down the street by a fleeing vehicle. Vance said of Ross, “So you think maybe he’s a little bit sensitive about somebody ramming him with an automobile.” Vance also blamed what he called a “lunatic fringe,” but when asked, could not identify who was behind this.
