Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes released a video statement on Sunday, attempting to walk back recent comments, where she told her radical left voters they have the right to shoot and kill masked ICE agents in Arizona.
“We’re a gun culture in this state,” Mayes said in a televised interview. “You have these masked Federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks. And we have a stand your ground law that says that if you reasonably believe that your life is in danger, and you’re in your house or your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force.”
“You’re not allowed to shoot peace officers,” she said. “But how do you know they’re a peace officer?”
Mayes further presented a possible legal defense for anyone who shoots an ICE agent, telling 12 News’s Brahm Resnik, “It becomes, did they reasonably know that they were a peace officer?”
WATCH:
But you can’t trust your own lyin’ ears, Mayes says.
“Despite how right-wing media has mischaracterized recent comments I made about ICE and the danger its actions pose to public safety, the idea that I would want the life of any member of law enforcement put in danger is wrong, it’s offensive, and it is an outright lie,” Mayes claimed in a statement slamming Republicans for twisting her words.
She further attacked ICE agents, accusing them of “increasingly chaotic and dangerous activity” and “destroying the public’s trust in law enforcement and putting every American, including local law enforcement, in danger.”
“Arizonans do not want masked agents entering their homes without warrants. It is un-American, and threatens the rights and safety of everyone in our state,” she added without explaining her previous statements or noting that masked ICE agents are easily identifiable by badges and vests with their agency’s name printed in big, bold letters.
She couldn’t even film the clip in one take.
WATCH:
Transcript:
I want to speak directly to Arizona law enforcement and reiterate my support and appreciation for the work you do every day to keep our state and its people safe.
I have seen firsthand as your attorney general the dedication and commitment that you bring to a job that is inherently dangerous. You will always have my full support.
Despite how right-wing media has mischaracterized recent comments I made about ICE and the danger its actions pose to public safety, the idea that I would want the life of any member of law enforcement put in danger is wrong, it’s offensive, and it is an outright lie. Danger to law enforcement is the very thing I want to avoid in Arizona.
But I will not be deterred from speaking out and criticizing the Trump administration for its ongoing abuses of power and its trashing of our sacred Constitution, which I took an oath to uphold, an oath that I take seriously with every ounce of my being.
And I will not accept the hypocrisy from Republican legislators and candidates for office who have twisted my words but remained silent after Donald Trump pardoned the rioters who assaulted and beat capitol police officers on January 6th, 2021.
Arizonans do not want masked agents entering their homes without warrants. It is un-American, and threatens the rights and safety of everyone in our state.
But we have all witnessed the increasingly chaotic and dangerous activity of ICE agents in cities across the country.
And this month, two Americans, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, have been killed at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis. The federal government has also become openly hostile to state and local law enforcement organizations in Minnesota attempting to keep their state safe.
Because of what is happening in this country, I have become increasingly concerned for the safety of Arizonans and state and local law enforcement if the Trump administration surges a large number of poorly trained agents to our state.
ICE’s behavior is destroying the public’s trust in law enforcement and putting every American, including local law enforcement, in danger. It will take years if not decades to undo the damage that has been done over the past twelve months.
The Trump administration must stop this chaos and destruction and pull this country back from the brink.
I will always stand in support of Arizona’s sheriffs and police departments, and my office will continue to work with our state, local, and tribal partners to keep Arizona safe and peaceful. I urge the Trump administration to do the same.
And as long as I am Arizona’s attorney general, I will never waver in my defense of the United States Constitution and the rights that it guarantees the people of this great nation. Thank you, God bless Arizona, and God bless America.
The post (VIDEO) Arizona Attorney General Claims “Right-Wing Media has Mischaracterized” Violent Comments Justifying Shooting ICE, Attacks ICE for “Putting Every American in Danger” in Damage Control Statement appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.