MSNBC host Jen Psaki has forcefully challenged former President Donald Trump and his administration over their characterization of Renee Nicole Good, a woman fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minnesota this week, as a "domestic terrorist." Psaki labeled the claim "disgusting and ridiculous" during her Friday program, "The Briefing with Jen Psaki."
Video Evidence and Conflicting Narratives
During her segment, Psaki presented footage allegedly recorded by the shooter himself, ICE agent Jonathan Ross, on his personal phone. She stated that right-wing commentators have seized on this video to argue it "somehow vindicates" Ross's actions. Their argument hinges on the moment Ross fumbles his camera and a loud noise is heard, which they claim is evidence Good hit or ran over the agent with her car.
"That is what they have been blasting everywhere," Psaki said. However, she countered this narrative by emphasizing the abundance of footage from multiple angles filmed by bystanders. "If you look at all of the evidence we have seen so far, that does not appear to be the case," she asserted.
The video shows Ross approaching Good's vehicle, which was partially blocking a road. Good is heard telling him, "That’s fine, dude, I’m not mad at you." After an interaction with Good's wife outside the car, Ross circles the vehicle and positions himself in front of it. Good turns the wheel right and pulls forward slightly. As the car moves, Ross drops his phone, a voice exclaims "whoa!" and multiple gunshots ring out. After Good is fatally shot, someone is heard saying, "Fucking bitch."
Analyzing the Critical Moment
Psaki meticulously analyzed the pivotal moment. "They are claiming that that video vindicates the agent for firing those shots, but if you sync up that video with the other angle of that same moment, you can see that the car does not appear to run the agent over," she explained. "In fact, the agent’s feet are positioned away from the car. And as I mentioned, the car is already headed in the opposite direction."
She also questioned the authenticity of the agent's decision to film, noting that federal agents typically would not use their personal phones during a perceived life-threatening situation. While admitting she is not a crime scene expert, Psaki pointed out the difficulty in determining what exactly caused the loud noise heard on Ross's recording.
The significant ICE presence at the scene, Psaki noted, was due to one of their vehicles becoming stuck in the snow. This prompted local residents to blow whistles to alert others and to begin filming the incident.
Political Fallout and Official Response
Ross walked away from the scene after killing Good and has not been charged. The Trump administration's communications strategy was highlighted by a statement from Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin to The Washington Post. She said the Trump White House has given ICE's communications sector "autonomy to create content that is effectively reaching the American public."
Psaki concluded her segment by starkly contrasting Good's final words with the administration's portrayal of her. "Renee Nicole Good told those officers, 'I’m not mad at you,'" Psaki stated. "That’s the woman the Trump administration called a domestic terrorist. That’s the woman whose killing Vice President JD Vance called 'a tragedy of her own making.'"
She argued the newly circulated video only reinforces the original outrage. "And all this new video does is make clear that those claims are just as disgusting and ridiculous as they were before we saw this new video. She said, 'I’m not mad at you.' And 25 seconds after she uttered those words, she was shot."
