GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany told reporters he hasn’t seen video of federal immigration agents shooting a Green Bay native in Minneapolis over the weekend and is reserving judgment until there’s a full investigation.
Tiffany, R-Minocqua, also deflected when asked yesterday about comments by Trump administration officials claiming Alex Pretti had approached federal officers with a pistol despite video evidence showing otherwise.
The northern Wisconsin congressman instead criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for not doing more to cooperate with federal immigration officials. And he charged his potential Dem opponents with wanting to do away with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
State Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison and state Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, in the past week have called for disbanding the agency.
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“He has people who are illegally in his state who have committed heinous crimes and yet he will not let federal agents be able to do their job in Minnesota and in Minneapolis,” Tiffany said of Walz.
Emily Stuckey, a spokesperson for the state Dem Party, said Tiffany’s “willful ignorance about the evidence of the ICE murder of Alex Pretti is shocking and disturbing. To be deaf, dumb and blind at a moment like this is unacceptable of an elected official.”
Following the shooting, some Trump administration officials have criticized Pretti, who has a concealed carry license, for having a weapon on him before he was shot. FBI Director Kash Patel said Pretti “broke the law” in carrying the gun to a protest, drawing backlash from Second Amendment groups including the National Rifle Association.
Tiffany said if state law allows it, you should be able to concealed carry.
“But you should also think about what you’re going to go into a situation like that,” he said. “Be sure to think about the ramifications of that.”
Tiffany made his comments during a press conference during which he vowed to call a special session on day one of his administration to repeal Dem Tony Evers’ 400-year veto before then implementing a property tax freeze.
