"On Sunday afternoon, CNN anchor Jake Tapper was interviewing US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hours after Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti. Suddenly, CNN cut away to live coverage of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference. Noem declared that Pretti had "attacked our officers" while "brandishing" a handgun and planned "to kill law enforcement." When a reporter tried to ask a question about her claim, she interrupted to say, "That is no claim. It is the facts.""
"By this time, bystanders' videos of the shooting were appearing online and on news outlets. When Tapper resumed his interview with Ocasio-Cortez, the representative said that Noem and the Trump administration were "asking the American people to not believe their eyes... to instead hand over your belief into anything that they say. I'm not asking the American people to believe me, or her, but to believe themselves.""
"Any journalist who's been paying attention knows that Noem's boss, President Donald Trump, often doesn't tell the truth. Trump launched his political career by asserting without evidence that America's first Black president wasn't born in the United States, which would have meant Barack Obama was in power illegally. After losing the 2020 election, Trump said he had no plans to leave office because, he insisted, he had actually won."
Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asserted that Pretti attacked officers, was brandishing a handgun, and planned to kill law enforcement. The White House labeled Pretti a "domestic terrorist." Bystanders' videos of the shooting appeared online and on news outlets, showing evidence that conflicted with official claims. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged the public to trust their own eyes rather than officials' statements. The incident unfolded during live media coverage, and the account notes President Donald Trump's repeated history of making demonstrably false claims.
#border-patrol-shooting #misinformation-and-disinformation #media-accountability #trump-administration
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