‘For what?’ Vance refuses to apologize for Alex Pretti claims

Vice President JD Vance isn’t apologizing for echoing the claim that Alex Pretti was an “assassin” following the intensive care nurse’s shooting death during a confrontation with immigration agents in Minneapolis last month.

Vance reposted a social media post from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller shortly after Pretti’s death on Jan. 24. Responding to comments by Sen. Chris Murphy, Miller wrote: “An assassin tried to murder federal agents and this is your response.”

During an interview with the Daily Mail on Feb. 3, the vice president didn’t back away from claims that Pretti was a grave threat to law enforcement.

“For what?” Vance replied when asked whether he would apologize to Pretti’s family. When the Mail interviewer pointed to Vance labeling Pretti “an assassin with ill intent,” the vice president responded that “he’s a guy who showed up with ill intent to an ICE protest.”

Vance’s office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

The vice president’s refusal to apologize came after President Donald Trump criticized Pretti in a recent social media post, even as the president has said he wants to “de-escalate” the tense situation in Minnesota. White House officials were quick to portray Pretti as someone looking to harm law enforcement after the shooting.

Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” and DHS released a statement saying he appeared poised to “inflict maximum damage.” Miller later walked back early Homeland Security comments about Pretti and said that the decision to say the 37-year-old intended to kill immigration authorities was “based on reports from CBP on the ground,” referring to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Lawmakers, including Democrats and Republicans, have expressed deep concern over the rhetoric.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, said such claims about Pretti aren’t true and that officials “need to admit they made a mistake by rashly saying that because that led to further chaos.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, called Trump officials “utterly shameless” for their comments about Pretti.

The White House later changed course and adopted a more conciliatory approach as uproar over the shooting grew. The president withdrew 700 immigration personnel from the state Feb. 4, saying the turmoil in Minneapolis convinced him a “softer touch” is needed on immigration.

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Trump distanced himself from the language used about Pretti by Miller and others in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. But he later lashed out at Pretti after a video surfaced of a previous incident that appeared to show Pretti in a confrontation with federal agents, calling him an ‘agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist.”

Videos from bystanders on Jan. 24 did not show Pretti brandishing a gun when he approached federal agents. In the videos, Pretti can be seen holding a cell phone in one hand, his other hand empty, during an immigration enforcement operation that attracted protesters.

The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s killing. Vance deflected when asked if he’d apologize if the investigation determines that Pretti’s civil rights were violated, saying he wanted to let the investigation play out.

“If something is determined that the guy who shot Alex Pretti did something bad, then a lot of consequences are going to flow from that,” Vance told the Mail. “We’ll let that happen. But again. I don’t think it’s smart to prejudge the investigation. I don’t think it’s fair to those ICE officers.”

Contributing: Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vice President JD Vance is not sorry for Alex Pretti ‘assassin’ claim