Trump-appointed judge rips Stephen Miller for 'troubling' statements about Alex Pretti in shooting evidence ruling
Source: The Independent
Tuesday 03 February 2026 11:07 EST
A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump scolded top administration officials for their “troubling” statements about Alex Pretti in the immediate aftermath of his fatal shooting by two federal immigration officers in Minneapolis. But, Minnesota District Judge Eric C. Tostrud said inflammatory statements and a potentially compromised crime scene are not enough to block federal law enforcement agencies from handling evidence, for now.
Hours after last month’s shooting, Minnesota officials sued to block Homeland Security from “destroying or altering” any evidence, and Tostrud granted a temporary restraining order later that night. His order on Monday night dissolves the order, but with reservations.
Officers appeared to mishandle Pretti’s alleged firearm, which the president and administration officials posted to social media shortly after he was killed, and comments from Miller and Homeland Security officials were politically motivated “snap judgments,” the judge wrote. Following the shooting, administration officials “decided the day Mr. Pretti was killed that the federal officers who shot him did nothing wrong,” Tostrud wrote.
On X, Miller baselessly labeled Pretti a “domestic terrorist” who “tried to assassinate federal law enforcement.” A post on X from Homeland Security said Pretti’s death “looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” later echoed by Secretary Kristi Noem. “These statements are troubling,” Tostrud wrote. “They reflect, not a genuine interest in learning the truth, but snap judgments informed by speculation and motivated by political partisanship.”
Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/minnesota-alex-pretti-evidence-trump-lawsuit-b2913105.html
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