After Weekend Shooting, White House Escalates Campaign to Treat Political Opposition as the Enemy
Administration Rushes to Label VA Nurse a “Domestic Terrorist” Following Federal Shooting
Gun Owners and Second Amendment Advocates Warn Against Dangerous Federal Overreach
Bondi Letter Signals Broader Effort to Weaponize Federal Power Ahead of Midterms
Washington, D.C. – In the aftermath of a fatal shooting by federal agents this weekend, the White House again framed the violence as a case of domestic terrorism, underscoring a broader pattern of using federal power to punish dissent and marginalize political opposition.
The rush to label VA nurse Alex Pretti as a domestic terrorist without obtaining evidence is the latest action in the Trump Administration’s whole-of-government approach to weaponizing the levers of power against those who oppose them, even peacefully.
It’s clear that the Trump Administration does not plan to stop here. A new letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi amounts to a ransom and exposes the plan to escalate this agenda up to the midterm elections - demanding voter registration rolls in exchange for removing federal agents from Minnesota.
A broad coalition of Americans are speaking out against the Trump Administration's actions - from gun owners and Second Amendment advocates to a Republican candidate for Minnesota governor who has dropped out of the race in protest of retribution by federal officials.
Administration Applies ‘Domestic Terrorism’ Label Without Providing Evidence
As reported by Axios, “for the second time in less than a month, President Trump's top officials rushed to declare that a U.S. citizen killed by U.S. immigration agents was a ‘domestic terrorist.’”
Importantly, the federal government has not pointed to evidence to support that claim, and state and local officials have disputed it - as has Fox News, with former U.S. Representative Trey Gowdy pointing out “there is no evidence” that Alex Pretti was a domestic terrorist.
As AAGC has previously noted, the Trump Administration’s decision to label peaceful protestors as domestic terrorists erodes the rights of Americans to exercise free speech and normalizes the treatment of dissent as a threat to our nation.
Second Amendment Advocates and Gun Owners Raise Alarm
Americans from across the political spectrum, including gun owners and Second Amendment advocates, have called out the Trump Administration’s actions - saying that Americans have the right to bear arms while protesting.
Even the National Rifle Association, which has supported Trump, called for a “full investigation” into the shooting of Alex Pretti, and called out the “dangerous” and “wrong” statements from U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli who said law enforcement will likely be justified to shoot someone who has a gun.
Bondi Letter Signals Escalation Heading Into Midterms
Late this weekend Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz conditioning removal of federal agents on access to voter data and changes to state policies. As Minnesota’s Secretary of State noted, Bondi’s demands represent “an outrageous attempt to coerce Minnesota into giving the federal government private data on millions of U.S. Citizens in violation of state and federal law.”
And today… Republican candidate for Minnesota Governor Chris Madel dropped out of the race, saying he “cannot support the national Republicans' stated retribution on the citizens of our state.”
Bottom line: This is no longer just rhetoric or overreach—the Administration’s abuse of power is getting people killed. By branding dissent as “terrorism” and unleashing federal force without accountability, they are signaling that political opposition is something to be crushed, not tolerated.
