Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., is pushing back forcefully against claims from senior Trump administration officials over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minneapolis, saying video evidence tells a very different story than what the public has been told.
In an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes, Paul said he reviewed the available footage and found no support for assertions that Pretti was attacking law enforcement officers at the time he was shot. Instead, Paul said the video shows a man retreating as agents moved toward him.
“I saw no evidence,” Paul said. “I saw a man that was retreating.” He described Pretti moving into the street, allowing a car to pass, then stepping back to the side of the road as agents advanced. Paul said the situation escalated after a woman was violently pushed to the ground, prompting Pretti to turn and try to help her. According to Paul, that was the moment when Pretti was grabbed from behind.
Paul’s account directly contradicts statements made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and claimed he intended to inflict maximum damage and kill law enforcement officers. Paul said flatly that he saw no evidence to back those claims.
Federal officers fired roughly 10 shots into Pretti’s back after another officer had already taken possession of the pistol Pretti was carrying concealed at his beltline. The gun was legally permitted. At the time he was shot, Pretti was holding his cell phone and his glasses, not a weapon.
Despite that, Noem has claimed that Pretti attacked officers and was brandishing a semi-automatic pistol when he was killed by a Border Patrol officer. Paul rejected that characterization, saying it is not supported by the video evidence.
As chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Paul has sent letters to the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, requesting that they testify before his committee on Feb. 12. Paul said the hearing will be critical to restoring public trust.
When asked whether Noem should resign, Paul declined to make that call before the hearing. “I think we have to get through our hearing Feb. 12,” he said. He added that testimony from agency officials will matter, but warned that attempts to justify the shooting by claiming Pretti was aggressively assaulting officers would be unacceptable.
“That’s why they’re lacking in trust,” Paul said, referring to federal agencies.
Paul was also asked about other administration officials’ statements, including claims by Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino that Pretti wanted to inflict damage on officers, FBI Director Kash Patel’s assertion that Pretti had no right to bring a permitted concealed-carry handgun to a protest, and White House adviser Stephen Miller’s description of Pretti as an “assassin.” Paul responded by shaking his head.
“It sounds like terrible judgment,” Paul said, calling the conclusions incorrect and disconnected from the video evidence. He argued that officials might have been able to make such claims if there were no footage, but said the video does not support their narrative.
Paul concluded that senior administration officials have “without question” broken the trust of the American people. Separately, Noem is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3, setting the stage for further scrutiny of the case.
