Podcast Summary

The Beat with Ari Melber – “Federal Agents Under Scrutiny After Pretti Killing”
Date: January 27, 2026
Host: Ari Melber
Guests: Andrew Weissman (Former DOJ, FBI), Mark Claxton (Ret. NYPD), Bill Kristol (The Bulwark)

Episode Overview

Ari Melber delivers in-depth analysis and reporting on the high-profile killing of Alex Preddy, an ICU nurse, by federal agents in Minnesota. The episode examines the fallout from the incident, the Trump administration's response, legal and ethical questions, mounting protests, and the broader implications for law enforcement, civil liberties, and government accountability. Key guests provide legal, policing, and political context, challenging the administration’s narrative and questioning the policy roots of escalating violence by federal agents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Immediate Fallout and Administration Response

• Personnel Change:

  • Controversial Customs and Border Patrol official Greg Bevino is removed from Minnesota amid public and political outcry, widely seen as a "vote of no confidence."
    • [01:22] Ari: "The Journal reporting he'd emerged as the public face of Trump's immigration enforcement activity in the state…this is widely interpreted as a vote of no confidence."

• Administration’s Shifting Narrative:

  • Initial claims by officials that Preddy intended to "massacre law enforcement" are directly contradicted by video evidence.
  • Despite personnel shifts, administration policy remains unchanged and just as aggressive.
  • The Trump team continues rotating hardline officials (e.g., Tom Homan being sent in), signifying only cosmetic changes.
  • Removal of Bevino is seen by Melber as proof that public pressure can work, but without meaningful policy change.
    • [03:00] Ari: “Ousting Bovino suggests that pressure can also work. It’s a step towards some kind of change or accountability with who's doing what. But the policy, as best we can tell, remains unchanged.”

• Protests and Public Fear:

  • Ongoing protests despite dangerous conditions highlight public resistance and fear of further violence.
    • [02:11] Ari: “It is understandable that some people would view even going outside to use their First Amendment rights…as itself potentially dangerous. And yet there they are being seen and heard around the country.”

2. Legal and Policy Critique

• Question of Legality and Accountability:

  • Multiple officials and legal experts stress that, by any standard, the death of a restrained individual by multiple gunshots mandates a homicide investigation.
    • [07:17] Ari: “An American citizen was grabbed, restrained, held down…then shot 10 times to death. That's when you definitely open a homicide investigation.”

• State Pushback and DOJ Scandal:

  • Minnesota is suing DHS, calling deployments “an illegal means to an illegal end.”
    • [07:52] Ari: “…rebuking these types of DHS deployments and the recent killing as a, ‘illegal means to an illegal end.’”
  • DOJ (Attorney General Bondi) attempts to coerce local election rolls via threat of armed agent deployment, a tactic described as unprecedented and a “ransom.”
    • [08:26] Ari: “There is no precedent for the federal government offering to use or withhold armed federal agents in order to get voter rolls.”

3. Republican and Media Reactions

• Bipartisan Outrage:

  • Even Republican officials and the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal are openly criticizing the administration.
    • [09:40] Ari: “The Murdoch owned Wall Street Journal…noting people don’t believe the spin. And on politics, the Journal says, ‘this is backfiring against Republicans. Americans don’t want to see law enforcement shooting people in the street.’”

• Failure to Acknowledge Wrongdoing:

  • Despite spinning the story, the administration has yet to acknowledge any error or express empathy.

4. Expert Analysis: Policing, Policy, and Escalation

Andrew Weissman (DOJ, FBI) on Policy Causation

• Root Cause is Trump’s Policy:

  • Policy, not personnel, is the driver of violent escalation.
    • [14:04] Weissman: “What we are seeing…is a result of the policy of Donald Trump…You really can’t just, you know, put lipstick on a pig and say, it has nothing to do with me. And so changing around who is there in Minnesota is not changing the policies.”

• Investigative Failures:

  • Lack of impartial investigations after shootings sends message that agents have total immunity.
    • [16:21] Weissman: “The first thing…you have an investigation and you have an impartial investigation and you don’t … announce the conclusion before the investigation.”

• Dehumanizing and Dangerous Agent Culture:

  • Militarized ICE is unaccountable and emboldened, unlike regular police who de-escalate.
    • [20:26] Weissman: “If you create ICE as a model of sort…where you're telling people they have unfettered power and nothing’s going to change that…that is what results in…officers who are really not doing what many, many law enforcement officers…do day in and day out.”

• Contrast with Minneapolis Police:

  • Minneapolis PD made hundreds of arrests and removed 900 guns in a year without a single shot fired.
    • [23:34]/[23:45] Mark Claxton/Ari: “The Minneapolis Police Department…about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds and hundreds of violent offenders. – And we didn’t shoot anyone.”

Mark Claxton (Black Law Enforcement Alliance) on Policing Tactics

• Policy and Training Breakdown:

  • Deploying agents without crowd control or civilian engagement training is a “recipe for disaster.”
    • [29:53] Claxton: “What I see is really a bastardization of professional law enforcement…corruption of any criminal investigation… the mission itself is unwieldy and unclear and dysfunctional.”

• Militarization Escalates Violence:

  • Militarized uniforms and lack of empathy drive escalation.
    • [31:44] Claxton: “It starts really…with…that militarized attire. It’s just peculiar that…part of what was labeled a reform movement…was to de- militarize law enforcement…Now we’ve really doubled down on the militarization.”

5. Broader Political and Constitutional Crisis

Bill Kristol’s Warning

• Foreseeable Outcome:

  • The repeated abuses and killings are prefigured by years of top-level encouragement and lack of consequences.
    • [37:31] Kristol: “To see them lie about it and justify it and smear and slander this 37-year-old VA nurse who clearly did nothing wrong…and they’ve apologized for none of the lies…And they're going ahead with the whole mass deportation effort, which is what has produced this.”

• Dangerous Culture and Immunity:

  • Administration messages signal immunity for violence—agents are protected to the top (even against local prosecution).
    • [40:33] Kristol: “This is the culture they’ve imparted…They’ve not penalized anyone…they’ve lauded agents who’ve done these things…if they really think there’ll be consequences, they might back off. But if they're protected to the top…the President…who has pardon power…Well, what does that do? It just tells people…you’ll pay no consequence. Super dangerous.”

Ari Melber’s Broader Reflections

• Constitutional Peril:
  • Drawing parallels to Orwellian dystopia; warnings of unchecked abuse of power.
    • [35:35] Ari: “Militarized agents shooting down Americans dead in the street in broad daylight…Don't believe what you see with your own eyes. Orwell’s 1984 has exactly such claims as a dystopian warning.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ari Melber [07:17]:
  “An American citizen was grabbed, restrained, held down…then shot 10 times to death. That's when you definitely open a homicide investigation.”

• Andrew Weissman [14:04]:
  “What we are seeing in Minnesota…is a result of the policy of Donald Trump. You really can’t just put lipstick on a pig and say, it has nothing to do with me.”

• Mark Claxton [23:45]:
  “And we didn’t shoot anyone.” (on Minneapolis Police Department's record).

• Bill Kristol [37:31]:
  “To see them lie about it and justify it and smear and slander this 37-year-old VA nurse who clearly did nothing wrong. And even if he did something wrong, he doesn't deserve to be murdered.”

• Ari Melber [35:35]:
  “Militarized agents shooting down Americans dead in the street in broad daylight…Well, now we see the abusive power up close.”

• Andrew Weissman [36:43]:
  "Please watch what's happening here. I feel like we're performing CPR on what may already be a corpse called the Constitution."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:00] – Ari Melber opens with breaking news, significance of personnel change, and summary of incident.
• [03:00] – Discussion of administration's response and possible policy shifts.
• [07:17] – Call for homicide investigation; explanation of legal standards.
• [13:55] – Andrew Weissman's policy analysis begins.
• [14:04] – Weissman: "This is a result of the policy of Donald Trump."
• [18:00–20:30] – Weissman on ICE culture, lack of investigation, and Minneapolis police comparison.
• [23:45] – Mark Claxton: “And we didn’t shoot anyone.”
• [29:53–33:41] – Claxton on policing tactics and failures.
• [35:35] – Ari Melber draws broader political and constitutional implications.
• [37:31] – Kristol on the top-down culture of impunity.
• [40:22] – Kristol on dangerous incentive structure and immunity.
• [43:06–44:35] – Tributes to Alex Preddy as a nurse, veteran helper, and community member.

In Memoriam: Alex Preddy

• [43:06]
  Ari Melber shares footage and words honoring Preddy’s final acts: “Today we remember that freedom is not free. You have to work at it, nurture it, protect it and even sacrifice for it… we render our honor and our gratitude.”

• [44:07]
  Weissman and others recount Preddy’s empathy, dedication, and selflessness: “He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening in Minneapolis and throughout the United States.”

Concluding Thoughts

This episode lays bare the human cost and political stakes of Trump administration immigration policing, underscoring a profound constitutional crisis. Guests challenge the effectiveness of merely shifting personnel and call for urgent accountability, transparency, and policy change as civilian casualties mount. The tragedy of Alex Preddy becomes a rallying point for rethinking enforcement tactics, the militarization of federal agencies, and the very meaning of justice under the law.