Did the Minneapolis Events Cause a Split Among Republicans?

SadaNews - A small but growing number of Republicans have begun to express public concerns about the killing of Alex Brite by federal agents last Saturday in a street in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A report published by Politico stated that the chairman of a Republican committee in the House of Representatives called, just hours after the fatal shooting of Brite, for the director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency and other officials in President Donald Trump's administration to answer lawmakers' questions publicly.

The report added that Republican Senators Bill Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis have demanded independent investigations into the incident, with Cassidy warning that the integrity of the Immigration Agency and the Department of Homeland Security is at stake.

Furthermore, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, suggested that President Trump consider withdrawing from Minneapolis and sending federal agents to another city, accusing the city's mayor and the state governor of putting agency personnel in harm's way.

Opposition is Becoming Clearer

The report noted that this opposition, although subdued, is becoming clearer as congressional Republicans discuss behind closed doors how to respond to Trump's hardline immigration enforcement campaign ahead of the midterm elections.

It mentioned that some Republicans have secretly warned administration officials for months that these operations are not well accepted in some parts of the country, with one Republican Congressman questioning whether the administration is aware of the legislative and electoral damage expected this year.

The report states that Senator Lisa Murkowski emphasized that ICE agents do not have absolute authority in carrying out their duties, asserting that legally carrying a weapon does not justify the killing of an American citizen, especially since the video shows the victim after being disarmed.

Refusal to Comment

However, the report indicates that most Republicans on Capitol Hill still refrain from commenting or support the Trump administration, which hastened to describe Brite as a "domestic terrorist" who was planning a massacre against federal agents, despite the lack of visual evidence of a threat to them.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (Republican) defended the security measures, noting that interfering with law enforcement operations is a crime.

The report pointed out that this incident and the angry reactions from Democrats have caused a significant government funding package to stall, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that Democrats would not vote for the legislation as long as it included funding for the Department of Homeland Security, raising the likelihood of a partial government shutdown by midnight next Friday.

Uncertainty

In the midst of these doubts, according to Politico, some Republicans have secretly expressed their concerns over the absence of clear guidance from the White House regarding the incident, noting that they received more information about a winter storm than they did about the dire situation in Minneapolis.

Complicating the scene further, the report claims, an official from the Department of Homeland Security sent an email to Republican lawmakers containing incorrect information, describing the victim as an illegal alien when he was actually a U.S. citizen.

The site concluded its report by stating that while Republicans try to come to terms with the ramifications of the shooting, Democrats are discussing response options, which may include imposing sanctions on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem or even initiating impeachment proceedings against her.

Source: Politico