Transcription
Joining me now is Minnesota Attorney General Keith Allison. I appreciate you being with us here in the the freezing cold.
Um, first of all, just the the latest developments of it seems the reassignment of of Mr. Bavino and the bringing in of Tom Hman. What do you make of that?
Well, it sounds like they need to change tempo in their eyes. Uh, but I can tell you that Minnesotans have had quite enough of Mr. Bavino. Glad to see him go. Um and the fact is this city uh is is outraged, is upset, is uh we 50,000 uh plus marched in this freezing cold weather. Nine below just a few days ago, the day before Mr. Prey was shot down and killed, we marched 50,000 strong in the cold. So people are really really upset and I think Bavino leaving can only be a good development and we'll hope for the best and but we're going to continue to press the claim of of our state and no matter who's there. Trump now touting a meeting between Mayor Fry and Hman. His borders are and Homeman is now taking the lead in Minnesota. Trump's controversial top border patrol official Gregory Bavino is expected to leave Minneapolis within the next 24 hours and he's taking some of his 2,000 masked and armed border agents with him. CNN is learning administration officials are frustrated with Bavino who you may remember went before cameras when Alex Prey was shot just within four hours of that shooting. In fact, he said this. This looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement. It was clear that that was not true according to the video, which contradicts what Bevino claimed. And Bevino's claims caused massive problems for this administration. Prey, of course, is a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry according to Minnesota police. and he wasn't uh threatening them with him with it at the time. He was carrying a cell phone according to the video. And Pavino is not the only one who's standing with Trump is quickly deteriorating because of his handling of this thus far.
The White House distancing itself today from Christine Gnome, the Homeland Security Secretary's claims that Prey committed an act of domestic terrorism. Secretary Gnome said Alex Prey committed an act of domestic terrorism. Steven Miller labeled Pratty a domestic terrorist. Does the president agree with them?
Look, as I've said, I have not heard the president characterize Mr. Prey in that way. And that comes as Republicans are now openly questioning the administration's aggressive tactics and demanding answers. We certainly should not be labeling him as being uh a domestic terrorist who is going to execute cops. There's no evidence to support that. What I think the administration could do better uh is is the tone with which they're describing this that that immediately when an incident like this happens they come out guns blazing that that we took out a violent terrorist hoay. And so what's the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non US citizen? I I don't think that's what Americans want. I mean, it's pretty stunning when you hear that, right? That it's loud and clear. And we've now got new video, as I said, coming into out front of the incident in Minneapolis that shows the moments leading up to the shooting. And I'm going to speak to the two witnesses who filmed this encounter uh with these videos. But first, let's go to Sarah Seidner. She is out front live in Minneapolis. And Sarah, you were there uh when Alex Prey was killed. You were there uh when Minneapolis erupted afterwards. And now obviously Bevino leaving real repercussions from him are very significant. But what are protesters telling you?
They are significant from um a 35,000 ft view. But on the ground it's too little too late. They have already killed two American citizens and shot another person in less than a month. And people here are like look we have asked again and again for ICE to leave this community. Not just the protesters, not just the resident, not just some of the business owners here, but the governor and the mayor. And so for those who are here, those who are mourning Alex Prey, the 37-year-old ICU nurse who worked at the veterans hospital, for them, it is almost a slap in the face. They want ICE and federal agents out of here. All of them. Not some of them. Not a few of them. All of them.
Sources now tell CNN that Border Patrol commander Bavino and some of his agents are expected to leave Minneapolis tomorrow. Now, the shift in tone from the White House follows two days of top Trump administration officials making what can only be called blatant misrepresentations about Saturday's killing of Alex Prey, a 37-year-old VA ICU nurse from Minneapolis. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christy Gnome said without evidence that Prey brandished a gun and committed an act of domestic terrorism. Trump senior adviser Steven Miller called him an assassin. Bavino said Prey assaulted law enforcement. False. False. False. False. Those statements all at best inconsistent with what we can all see on the videos of the shooting and at worst egregious lies. Either way, these officials are being called out as such, even by opinion journalists who are normally quite supportive of the administration. The Wall Street Journal and the Free Press editorial boards, even the New York Post editorial board wrote today, quote, "Mr. president. The American people didn't vote for these scenes and you can't continue to order them to not believe their lying eyes." Even Levit wouldn't stand by the Gnome and Miller lies today.
Secretary Gnome said Alex Prey committed an act of domestic terrorism. Steven Miller labeled Pratty a domestic terrorist. Does the president agree with them?
Look, as I've said, I have not heard the president characterize Mr. Prey in that way. Uh, however, I have heard the president say he wants to let the facts in the investigation lead itself. Was he alarmed to hear his top officials referring to him in that way, rushing to that judgment? Denny, go ahead. Let's start with CNN's Anderson Cooper who's in Minneapolis. Anderson, tell us what you're seeing and hearing there today now that it appears as though the president is sidelining Bevino and sending in borders Tom Hman.
Yeah, look, I I certainly think there's a lot of people who have been out in the streets, a lot of people who have been out at the memorial for for Alex Prey, as we have seen over the last couple days, who will certainly be relieved to hear about the reassignment or the demotion or whatever one wants to characterize it as of uh of of Greg Bevino. Um there certainly has not been uh much confidence in his ability uh to tell the truth or his ability to control uh any of the agents or many of the agents under his alleged leadership. Um and I think you know so you hear people I've talked to have are pleased by that news. Unclear exactly what it means to have uh Tom Hman coming in. And obviously there's some people who are going to read that as as a good development. Anything that brings some sort of order and uh sense of decent policing by some of these agents from Border Patrol or ICE. Uh, I mean, we've all seen the images of what happened to to Alex Prey. um the tactics that the local police here uh the city police uh have been decrying by many of these uh border patrol agents, by these mass ICE agents who seem to answer to no one. Uh, and as you know, the federal government is now in charge, the border patrol, ICE, is in charge of investigating what happened, whether they're investigating their own officers or are investigating Alex Prey as a domestic terrorist as uh the Secretary of Homeland Security uh labeled him as you've been reporting and Gregory Beino as well and Steven Miller. That is unclear. So, there's a lot of skepticism. There's a lot of fear and anger here. Um but certainly it does feel like something is changing and how that actually reflects on the ground in terms of actual operations. Will people still be ripped out of their cars, have their seat belts cut, uh be pushed on the ground, be maed, you know, with chemical agents is is unclear. So a lot remains to be seen, but it certainly has been a day of of breaking developments and some sort of sense that there is some sort of change. Yeah, Greg Bavino being pulled back is not exactly a vote of confidence.