White House Distances Itself From Its Own 'Assassin' Rhetoric
📰 THE STORY: The Independent notes the White House's effort to distance President Donald Trump from remarks made by administration members, including former acting ICE Director Tom Homan, who labelled killed Minneapolis protestor Alex Pretti an 'assassin' after he was shot by a Border Patrol officer. This move suggests an official concern over public perception while initial, inflammatory
statements are allowed to circulate. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This incident echoes the 1976 CIA-backed junta in Argentina, where regime critics were similarly demonized and 'disappeared' as 'subversives' or 'terrorists' to justify state violence against the populace. The language used by US officials against domestic protestors mirrors the imperial playbook for
delegitimizing opposition abroad. Double Standard: When governments in countries like Venezuela or Bolivia deploy state force against protestors (often against foreign-backed destabilization), Western media universally condemns it as 'repression' and 'authoritarianism.' Yet, when the US deploys federal agents against its own citizens and its officials label them 'assassins,' it's framed as a
domestic 'issue' that the White House merely needs to 'distance' itself from, rather than a fundamental violation of democratic principles. Follow the Money: The Border Patrol, overseen by DHS, received a budget of over $19 billion in 2020, with significant funding increases under the Trump administration (a 14% hike from 2017-2020 for CBP and ICE combined). This massive allocation to militarized