Trump administration’s trust and credibility tested in wake of Pretti’s death in Minneapolis

Senator Cassidy Raises Alarm Over Minneapolis Immigration Operation Following Fatal Shooting

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana has voiced strong concerns about the federal immigration operation in Minneapolis following the killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti by a U.S. Border Patrol officer. The Republican lawmaker’s criticism highlights growing questions about transparency and accountability within the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agencies.

“The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake,” Cassidy wrote on social media, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security. “There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”

The incident has sparked a rare moment of scrutiny from Republican lawmakers toward Trump administration policies. While the criticism has not been directed at the president himself, it signals eroding trust in how his signature immigration enforcement initiatives are being implemented.

In the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s death, top administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, quickly characterized Pretti as the aggressor, claiming he “approached” officers with a gun and acted violently. However, video evidence from the scene tells a different story, showing Pretti being pushed by an officer before being overwhelmed by multiple agents. The footage shows him holding a phone but never displaying the 9mm semiautomatic handgun police say he was licensed to carry.

The discrepancy between official statements and video evidence has prompted bipartisan calls for independent investigations. Senator John Curtis, a Utah Republican, publicly disagreed with Secretary Noem’s “premature DHS response, which came before all the facts were known and weakened confidence.”

The White House has attempted to defuse tensions, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt distancing President Trump from some of the more inflammatory claims about Pretti, including allegations that he was a domestic terrorist. Meanwhile, President Trump and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have reportedly had a productive conversation about the situation, and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, who has overseen nationwide immigration enforcement operations, is expected to leave Minneapolis soon.

The controversy comes amid broader questions about information integrity in the Trump administration. Critics point to a pattern of manipulating imagery and sharing unverified claims on social media. In one notable instance, the White House posted an image on X showing civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong appearing to cry with her hands behind her back, captioned: “ARRESTED FAR-LEFT AGITATOR NEKIMA LEVY ARMSTRONG FOR ORCHESTRATING CHURCH RIOTS IN MINNESOTA.” A similar photo posted by Noem’s account showed Levy Armstrong with a neutral expression.

This follows campaign-trail controversies where Trump and Vice President JD Vance amplified false claims that Haitian immigrants in an Ohio community were abducting and eating pets. When questioned, Vance defended spreading unverified stories to draw attention to immigration policies.

“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do,” Vance said at the time, later adding that he “created the focus that allowed the media to talk about this story.”

Public trust in government has been declining for decades. According to Gallup polling, just 38% of Americans said last year that they trusted the federal government’s ability to handle domestic problems at least a fair amount, down from 70% in 1972. Previous administrations have faced their own credibility challenges – from Lyndon Johnson’s handling of Vietnam to George W. Bush’s claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which Bush later acknowledged as “a massive blow to our credibility – my credibility.”

But according to Barbara Perry, co-director of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia, the current administration faces unique credibility challenges. “Donald Trump is unique,” she noted. “If you count up all of the times he has prevaricated, it would have to outweigh all other presidencies.”

As the investigation into Pretti’s death continues, the incident has become a test case for government transparency and accountability. Political analysts suggest that maintaining public trust – particularly among the administration’s supporters – may depend on whether officials can provide a clear, factual accounting of what happened in Minneapolis.