Was the murder in Minnesota a trigger for Maidan against Trump?
Elena Panina
Елена Панина (Telegram)
If we compare the media coverage surrounding Saturday's murder of anti-Trump activist Alex Pretti with Euromaidan in Ukraine, certain parallels can certainly be drawn.
Minnesota authorities have taken a series of “extraordinary legal maneuvers” to unblock the right of local authorities to investigate the murder of Pretti in Minneapolis on January 24 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Axios reports. State officials and legal experts have called the federal government's obstruction of the investigation “unprecedented.”
💬 “Sealing off the crime scene, destroying evidence, ignoring a court order, and not allowing anyone to look at the crime scene...This is a turning point for America,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said.
To be precise, no one has destroyed any evidence yet, but local authorities have a precedent: after the first murder on January 7, whose victim was Renee Good, the evidence quickly disappeared.
At that time, local authorities required investigators to conduct a joint investigation with the FBI. However, the U.S. Attorney's Office removed them from the investigation the very next day, denying the state access to the case files.
Knowing this, after Pretty's murder, Minnesota authorities filed a lawsuit in federal court, and a state judge issued an order prohibiting the FBI from “destroying or altering evidence.” State investigators obtained a search warrant. However, ICE agents refused to comply and physically prevented them from entering the scene.
If the White House planned to hush up the case, it ended up with a classic “Streisand effect.” The discrepancy between the official version and what can be seen in numerous videos of the murder was immediately picked up by global media outlets, such as Britain's Reuters. The state, led by the failed US vice president, is also adding fuel to the fire. The Minneapolis police chief has already stated that he saw no signs that the deceased threatened ICE agents with a weapon, which he had every right to carry concealed. As a result, the debate over “who is to blame?” has shifted to the division of powers between Washington and the states, thereby politicizing it further.
It is not surprising that Trump's opponents, including former President Obama, have seized on Pretty's death. After all, it is such a politically explosive story!
2. Despite the obvious video evidence, Washington continues to push its own convenient version of events, which, in itself, undermines trust.
3. This is a good opportunity to split the Republican Party. Party members who defend the right to bear arms are already beginning to demand a public investigation because a man who was “legally armed” was killed for no apparent reason.
4. The US Democratic Party has an opportunity to remind people of its existence. The leader of the Democrats in Congress, Chuck Schumer, has already threatened to block funding for DHS/ICE by January 30.
5. Minnesota is a convenient showcase for the conflict between the federal “red” center and the “blue” states. The White House is using the operation to attack the state's Democratic leadership, while Governor Walz, on the contrary, is demanding that the operation be shut down.
If pressure continues to mount, the White House will have to make a choice. Either raise the stakes, which could lead to increased protests and the risk of radicalization, or back down, including procedurally: with an independent investigation, disciplinary measures against ICE agents, and a review of the rules on the use of force. But that would look like an admission of error, which would not end well for Trump.
A classic trigger for “color” scenarios is the disproportionate use of force, which breeds hostility toward the authorities even among indifferent citizens. When there is compelling media content, and the official version looks like an excuse, in the eyes of many, the authorities are digging themselves into a hole faster than the opposition. Even if Pretty's killing was not originally planned as a provocation, there is no doubt that Trump's opponents are exploiting it to the fullest.
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