In short, in the absolute best of cases, it’s still no better than a “necessary evil.” And it makes people on both sides – politicians and common folks alike – uncomfortable.
It’s no wonder then that even some Senate Republicans tried to talk Trump off the ledge after his social media remarks. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called for cooler heads to prevail: “I think we need to calm the country down, not head further toward chaos.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) echoed that sentiment but also downplayed the threat somewhat to the press. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said the administration should be “very careful” of escalating the conflict and suggested that the “potential for conflict as it relates to ICE enforcement” should be “dialed back.”
Much of the GOP continues to back Trump, seemingly in whatever decision he makes, but there’s a palpable unease among many. Enough so, it seems, that President Trump has walked back the severity a bit. On Friday, Trump told reporters at the White House: “I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I’d use it.” It’s still on the table, but that’s a far cry from Thursday morning’s “I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”
Refocusing on Justice
While President Trump seems to have stepped back from the ledge on using the Insurrection Act, his administration has doubled down on its focus on Democrat politicians in the state. Various media outlets reported Friday evening, citing anonymous government officials, that the Department of Justice had launched an investigation into an alleged conspiracy to impede federal agents by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
In a statement regarding the investigation, Walz said: “Two days ago, it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week, it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic. The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”
Mayor Frey also responded. “This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets,” he wrote in his statement. “I will not be intimidated. My focus will remain where it’s always been: keeping our city safe. America depends on leaders that use integrity and the rule of law as the guideposts for governance. Neither our city nor our country will succumb to this fear. We stand rock solid.”
Both Democrat leaders have encouraged anti-ICE protests, though, following the death of Renee Nicole Good. Walz called the immigration operation “a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.” Frey’s message was similar: “They’re ripping families apart, they’re sewing chaos on our streets, and in this case, they’re quite literally killing people.” Frey went on to call the government’s claim that the agent acted in self defense as “bullsh**.” His message directly to ICE was “Get the F**k out of Minneapolis.”
These don’t sound like the words of men hoping to “turn the temperature down,” as Walz put it on Thursday.
