(The Hill) — Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) urged President Donald Trump’s MAGA base to “take off their political blinders,” as she expressed skepticism about the use of force deployed during the latest shooting in Minnesota involving a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agent.
In a post on the social platform X, Greene touted her support for law enforcement and immigration enforcement, but she also defended the right to legally carry firearms, indirectly pushing back on claims that 37-year-old Alex Pretti posed a threat to federal officers by virtue of carrying a firearm.
“I unapologetically believe in border security and deporting criminal illegal aliens and I support law enforcement. However, I also unapologetically support the 2nd amendment,” Greene wrote. “Legally carrying a firearm is not the same as brandishing a firearm.”
“I support American’s 1st and 4th amendment rights,” she continued. “There is nothing wrong with legally peacefully protesting and videoing.”
The Trump administration has defended the shooting, saying the agent fired “defensive shots” at Pretti, who had a gun that was recovered by federal authorities. Others have accused the agent of acting with excessive force, pointing to video footage showing Pretti recording ICE officers with his phone before the incident escalated, and he was fatally shot.
Trump shared an image of the pistol allegedly found on Pretti in a Truth Social post, writing, “This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!) and ready to go.”
“What is that all about? Where are the local Police Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE officers? The Mayor and Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were not allowed to do their job, that ICE had to protect themselves — Not an easy thing to do!” Trump continued.
But Greene urged the president’s supporters to imagine how they would react if a similar situation happened under the Biden administration, which Greene has accused of too aggressively going after Jan. 6 rioters.
“MAGA, consider it like this. We lost our minds when we watched Biden’s FBI track down and aggressively carry out home invasions and arrest on peaceful J6’ers who walked in the Capitol through open doors,” Greene wrote in her post.
“[Imagine] if one of our MAGA independent journalists or even just a MAGA supporter stood in the street outside a J6’ers house while Biden’s FBI carried out a law enforcement operation, home invasion, and arrest. Then Biden’s FBI goes to the MAGA guy videoing it all and shoves a woman with him to the ground and sprays them with bear spray then throws the MAGA guy to the ground as MAGA guy was trying to help the woman off the ground. Then Biden’s FBI beats MAGA guy on the ground, disarms MAGA guy, and then shoots him dead,” Greene continued. “What would have been our reaction?”
The former congresswoman urged both parties to evaluate the situation objectively, rather than from their partisan perspectives.
“Both sides need to take off their political blinders,” she said. “You are all being incited into civil war, yet none of it solves any of the real problems that we all face, and tragically people are dying.”
