Bulwark Takes Podcast Summary

Episode: "Tim Miller: Federal Agents Shot an American And These Ghouls Defended It"

Date: January 29, 2026

Host: The Bulwark (Tim Miller, with guests Piers Morgan, Brandon, and Jonathan Fahey)

Episode Overview

This explosive episode of Bulwark Takes centers on the controversial killing of Alex Preddy, an American citizen and nurse, by federal agents in Minneapolis. Tim Miller recounts his heated appearance on Piers Morgan’s show to challenge defenders of the shooting—including a former ICE director and a pro-police pundit—over issues of law enforcement overreach, government accountability, and the meaning of masculinity. The episode unpacks the public and political fallout, Donald Trump’s shifting rhetoric, and broader implications for civil rights, policing, and partisan trust in America.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Killing of Alex Preddy: What Happened?

• Summary:
  Miller describes the viral incident where Alex Preddy intervenes to help a woman protester thrown to the ground by ICE agents in Minneapolis (hundreds of miles from the border). Preddy, lawfully carrying a weapon, is subdued, disarmed, and then shot multiple times.
• Key Questions Raised:
  • Why were Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis?
  • Was deadly force remotely justified?
  • Are Americans being gaslit about what the video evidence plainly shows?

2. Political and Public Reaction

• Piers Morgan’s Observation [03:01]:
  • "If you try and tell people that what they've just seen with their own eyes is not true, they're not going to buy it. Trust in you is going to erode and your polling numbers are going to get slayed...[it] will cost you at the ballot box."
• Tim Miller argues Trump’s polling is suffering, particularly among libertarians, Hispanic voters, and young men who previously believed in his "don't tread on me" image.
• Tim Miller [04:43]:
  • "The vast majority of Americans do not want and do not support a government that murders its own citizens in the street."

3. ICE, CBP, and Law Enforcement Defenders

• Pro-Police Position—Brandon [06:27]:
  • He insists that Preddy’s actions were reckless given he was armed, claiming agents’ use of force was legally justified due to “perceived threat,” regardless of video context.
  • Brandon repeatedly appeals to law enforcement protocol, stating: "What happens, things get twisted up… They yell, gun, gun, gun. ... That's going to be justification under the law."
• Tim’s Retort [07:17]:
  • Miller ridicules the logic that simply holding a gun justifies being shot, particularly in a context where Preddy’s gun was already confiscated before he was killed.

4. Where Should Border Agents Be? Jurisdiction Outrage

• Miller is outraged at the presence of border enforcement in a city hundreds of miles from the border:
  • [04:43] "Minneapolis is famously 300 miles from a border..."
  • [07:17] "Why are Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis nowhere near the border, pushing American citizen women to the grill?"

5. Use of Force—Was It Excessive?

• Tim Miller pushes the ICE acting director, Jonathan Fahey, to admit that shooting someone 10 times after they've been subdued is unprecedented and indefensible.
• Fahey’s Response [12:29]:
  • Deflects on specifics but falls back on training protocol: "You fire until the threat is no longer a threat, and then you reevaluate."

6. Masculinity, Emasculation, and Deflection

• Brandon repeatedly tries to frame Miller and Morgan as “emasculated” for criticizing law enforcement—
• Tim Miller’s Rebuttal [16:32, 18:43]:
  • "Apparently we’re emasculated because we’re not bootlickers for wanting to kill buddy. ... The masculine guy was the guy standing up for the woman… I wish we had more men like Alex Preddy, but unfortunately, he's dead."

7. Doubts, Gaslighting, and Broken Trust

• The discussion touches on the wider right-wing tactic of gaslighting evidence, notably in the contradictory explanations about Ilhan Omar’s assault.
• Morgan: "...a complete eradication of basic humanity... there ought to be parameters between left and right. Well, we can just agree when something like that happens, we all say this is terrible and shouldn’t be happening." [13:01]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tim Miller on Bodycam Evidence [04:43]:
  • "You’ll probably be able to find a couple of shills to come on and defend that on this show, but I think the vast majority of Americans say no, we do not want murderous mass thugs anonymously killing our fellow Americans."
• Brandon on Justification [06:27]:
  • "Perception of the Border Patrol agent... is going to be justification."
• Piers Morgan on Trust [03:01]:
  • "...if you try and tell people that what they've just seen with their own eyes is not true, they're not going to buy it."
• Tim Miller on Masculinity [18:43]:
  • "The masculine guy was the guy standing up for the woman... in exchange for his bravery, a bunch of [agents] shot him dead and unloaded six bullets into his dead body while he was laying on the ground."
• Piers Morgan on Humanity [13:01]:
  • "...a complete eradication of basic humanity… We can just agree when something like that happens, we all say this is terrible and shouldn’t be happening."

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:59–02:59: Tim Miller’s intro, describing appearance on Piers Morgan and setup for the episode
• 03:01–04:43: Morgan and Miller discuss the Trump administration’s gaslighting and political fallout
• 06:27–08:39: Brandon and Miller’s heated arguments about law enforcement protocol and justification for deadly force
• 09:00–12:29: Brandon and Fahey defend shooting as procedural; Miller presses for accountability
• 13:01–14:49: Wider media gaslighting, Ilhan Omar incident, and erosion of basic humanity in partisan divides
• 16:05–18:43: Spirited argument over what constitutes masculinity, heroism, and real harm

Conclusion

This episode is a raw, impassioned debate over what justice, accountability, and basic decency require from law enforcement and from us as citizens. Miller emerges as a fierce critic of both government aggression and the ideological cover that enables it, challenging both protocol and culture—all while exposing the risks of accepting excuses for indefensible state violence.

Recommended for listeners interested in:

• Police violence and accountability
• Media narratives and political trust
• The continuing culture war over masculinity and dissent