GLOVES OFF: Minnesota Democrat drops bad news on Trump

I'm joined now by the Lieutenant. Governor of Minnesota and current. candidate for the US Senate in. Minnesota, Peggy Flanigan. Thanks so. much for joining me. >> Thanks so much for having me. So, first. and foremost, given what's taken place. in your state in Minneapolis just a few. days ago, um there has been news. surrounding kind of the the the conflict. taking place between the feds and state. investigators where it doesn't look like. the Trump administration and the DOJ are. interested in allowing state. investigators to be a part of this. process, which is especially concerning.

given the fact that we've already. basically seen the ICE agent uh that was. involved in this shooting get pre-clared. by Trump, by Van by Christine Gnome, you. name it. And so, um, what can you tell. us with regard to any news about, uh, state investigators being able to. conduct their own investigation, what. what most of us would believe would be. an actual fair and impartial. investigation. >> Totally. Well, first of all, I think. it's important um you know, I know that. your viewers uh have, you know, can see.

right what happened um in the video of. the the killing of Renee Good um from. multiple angles. And so I think uh you. know hearing the spin from Donald Trump. and Christy Gnome and JD Vance who are. trying uh to just somehow disparage uh. the memory of Renee Good uh and uh. prejudge this entire situation is uh. outrageous. You know, initially the FBI. said that they were going to work with.

the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal. Apprehension and, you know, that's. fairly standard uh procedure when there. um are our our incidents like the the. one that occurred. Um shortly uh. thereafter, they said no, they were. going to cut out uh the Minnesota BCA. And now we are in a position um where uh. Minnesota state officials are not a part. of this investigation at all. And it is. completely uh outrageous. Minnesota.

state officials need to be engaged in, you know, this investigation. It needs. to be full, fair, uh transparent. Uh it. is what um the family of Renee Good. deserves. I think it's what motans. deserve and it's what uh you know the. entire country deserves. Frankly, um. Minnesota State Attorney General and. Henipin County Attorney Mary Moriardi um. are investigating. They have uh asked uh.

motans if they um uh have any evidence. or um eyewitness accounts, videos that. they share uh that information uh via a. portal because right now the FBI is not. uh working with the Minnesota BCA or. state officials or local officials at. all. And so they're prohibited from. seeing any of that evidence. And so my. question really is what do they have to. hide? And when we have folks like JD. Vance who from this podium say that uh.

ICE agents have absolute immunity quote. absolute immunity unquote. Uh that's. terrifying. It's false. Uh and it is. completely outrageous. Um and we need to. demand more. And if folks are interested. in how they can support Minnesota, they. can reach out uh to their member of. Congress and demand that the FBI uh work. with state officials, with the Minnesota. State Attorney General's Office, with. the Minnesota BCA, and with the Henipin.

County Attorney. >> Is it the intention of your. administration and and all of the the. the leadership in Minnesota right now. not to basically let up? Is it the. understanding of this administration. what the DOJ is seeking to do a and kind. of what they're already signaling by. virtue of of basically announcing uh. before the investigation has has. concluded or even really started that. the ICE agent is was you know just doing. his a job exemplary uh exemplary federal.

official meanwhile calling Renee good a. domestic terrorist. I mean, I think this. is part of a pattern, right? Let's be. let's be clear. Um that this is not the. first incident like this one that has. occurred with ICE agents and this. pattern of simply saying uh you know, nothing to see here. move along, right, is how uh DHS and DOJ have been uh. approaching um you know fatal. interactions uh with.

>> we we found out there there were 16 ICE. related shootings as of January 9th, >> right? And just the day after, right, Renee Good was killed, we hear about two. individuals being shot in Portland, right? So the message is pretty clear. that's being sent that people are in. danger, right? And are unsafe when ICE. agents are in our community. And so like. let's also be clear about, you know, what has um occurred. It is, you know, that as we have these ICE agents who are. descending on Minnesota, it makes us all.

less safe, right? Shortly after Renee. Good was killed, they moved uh to. Roosevelt uh high school where they use. chemical agents in the presence of. students. Uh they, you know, tackled uh. staff members who are uh beloved uh by. the children who attend uh this school. and had general disregard for the safety. of the young people who are on school. grounds. So much so that Minneapolis. public schools closed schools Thursday.

and Friday and now have offered a. distance learning option uh for students. at least for the the next month. Um this. is to keep children safe from these. federal agents. And so it is it has just. been escalating. This has nothing to do. about safety. This is terror and chaos. Um and you know we are seeing I'll just. share this quick story if I may. I am. being inundated with calls all day long. uh about people just expressing absolute.

horrific stories, citizens being. detained um by ICE trying to navigate. and figure out how to get people out. But just yesterday, my auntie um was. forced off the road by ICE agents. They. surrounded her vehicle and she is a. 78-year-old white little grandma, right? Who. was, you know, just forced off the road. with uh, you know, she believes because. she has a a bumper sticker on her car.

that says Black Lives Matter. Yeah. >> But, you know, she's pulled over, they, you know, surround her car and she's. like, "Hey guys, how's it going?" Right. This is ridiculous. Yeah. like this has. nothing to do with safety and has. everything to do with chaos um terror. and uh intimidation of the entire. community. And I I'm so glad that I have. the opportunity to talk to you, Brian, because um I don't know that people. outside of Minnesota understand what. truly is happening here on the ground.

It's horrific. And it isn't just it. isn't just focused on the Twin Cities. metro area. Right. Driving north, I'm in. northern Minnesota right now. There were. ICE agents who had pulled someone off on. the side of the road on 94 as I was. doing um an event in the city of. Alexandria. A bunch of phones went off. and there are several legal observers in. the room who are then called to go to a. restaurant and to a construction site. simultaneously. Um, and so this is. something that isn't just contained uh. to the Twin Cities metro area, but there.

are, you know, 2,000 um ICE agents uh in. Minnesota and uh reportedly uh Christine. Gnome is sending a thousand more. This. is untable for people. >> Well, and and look, I I I'm live in Los. Angeles. We were the first major city to. to contend with with um these ICE agents. descending onto the city. And you know, obviously Los Angeles is uh uh has has a. vibrant immigrant community. And so it, you know, I think as they go city by. city, Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, uh.

and across your state, um I think people. are recognizing it more and more. And I. also believe that that spans across the. political spectrum in a way that we. haven't seen before. One of the clips. that was most striking to me from the. day that Renee Good was killed was a. young man maybe in his 20s who said, "I'm I'm pretty right-wing, but this. this isn't it. Like, this isn't how you. do it." And I'm curious as you've been. traveling around the state because. you're running for US Senate and you've. had the opportunity to speak with so. many people. What have you heard from.

folks, not just necessarily people who. are, you know, in the Democratic. coalition, but outside the Democratic. coalition? What have you heard from. folks who are independents or even Trump. voters, even Republican voters about how. ISIS is comporting themselves right now? >> I mean, I have some family members, right, who are Republicans who are like, "Listen, this is crossing a line." Yeah. Right. And as we are hearing from folks, there's a gentleman today who came to um. our event in Thief River Falls who's. like, "I've never been to anything. political before in my life, but I'm. really concerned by what it is that I.

see uh happening in the state." I think. people were horrified and um you know. this your political affiliation should. not matter in this moment. Um you know. what happened to Renee Good should never. ever happen. We should never be able uh. to have federal agents um be able to. take someone's life. Yeah. Right. um and you know disagreeing or having.

people who are legal observers right we. are seeing legal observers who are being. detained by ICE right um we are seeing. citizens I'm hearing stories daily from. people or that you know a friend's. brother was just uh detained um all day. today as a United States citizen and. they're like well we still have to. investigate if you're actually a citizen. and he had his ID on him so like this is. nothing but um fear and intimidation. Uh.

and all people should be speaking up. about it regardless of political. affiliation because this is impacting. our overall um quality of life and no. one especially people who believe in. America, right? People who believe in. the Constitution should be okay with. these untrained masked agents just. creating chaos terror and intimidation. in our communities, making us all less. safe. So, I'd mentioned before that that. you're running for US Senate in.

Minnesota. Um, right now there you're. you're engaged in a primary against. Angie Craig. What is the difference, especially on this issue as it relates. to ICE, between you and her? >> Well, you know, I'd say I'd say a couple. things. You know, Donald Trump was very. clear about where he stood on the issue. of immigration and where he stood on the. issue of mass deportations. Right. um. this didn't sneak up on us. This was in. the fine print, right? There were rally.

signs at his events that said mass. deportations now. And so I think um. anybody who said that they didn't know. that this was how he was going to use uh. ICE is fooling themselves. And so the. very first vote that Donald Trump got. passed under um you know his second. administration was the Lake and Riley. Act which works to strip due process uh. from immigrants. Angie Craig uh was the.

only Minnesota Democrat uh to vote in. favor of the Lake and Riley Act. Tina. Smith and Amy Clolobachar you know led. the way in voting no. the additionally. right you know there was a a resolution. um that was presented in uh June um when. ICE was in the community as you know of. Los Angeles right terrorizing people. there um and my opponent Angie Craig. voted for that resolution praising ICE.

and so now that we see right the chaos. uh in our streets um the the terror that. um motans are experiencing saying um you. know suddenly she's talking about. immigration um and she's talking about. ICE but I think it's really important to. be clear that the Lake and Riley act. combined with this resolution praising. ICE are the very things that gave. permission for this terror and chaos. that's happening in our streets. So, I.

appreciate she is coming around and. she's talking about this issue now. I. guess welcome to the fight, but I have. been in this fight. Um, I have been. standing in the breach with my immigrant. neighbors and with community members. Um, because frankly, that's just what. leaders do. And, um, you know, I'm I'm. happy that she suddenly has had a change. of heart, but we deserve leaders who are. going to do the right thing um and who. are going to stand up for people. um all.

the time, not just when it's politically. expedient for them. >> On a broader um uh view of what's. happening in this campaign, ICE aside, what is your principal focus as you've. been going around talking to motans? >> Sure. I mean, it's the ability for. people to afford the lives that they. want to live. Um this is consistent. wherever I go and you know, it's things. like Medicare for all. I'm just hearing. about people constantly, right, who have. $15,000 deductibles, folks who are.

paying, you know, $600 bucks for a five. minute medication check. Um, and so the. the high cost of health care uh. continues to be an issue or people who. um got kicked off their insurance when, you know, their spouse had um a terrible. illness. just story after story after. story. >> or or by design, by the way, when the. Republicans refuse to extend these ACA. subsidies and healthcare costs are going. to 2x, 3x, 4x as we, you know, as we're.

now in 2026. >> That's exactly right. I mean, last year, right, I talked to a librarian whose. deductible was $15,000 a year, right? Um, and so that is, you know, unsustainable for folks. And, you know, when people are like, "Oh, Medicare for. all, right? Isn't Isn't that you know so. expensive? what we're doing right now is super. expensive for folks and you know and the. cost is like the overall health and. well-being of it people right I think.

it's time and people know that we need. to pay not for health insurance but for. actual health care and I think folks you. know are ready for it getting rid of. things like prior authorization so like. some dude behind a desk doesn't get to. decide whether or not you get the. life-saving health care that you deserve. right your doctor gets to prescribe. that. Um raising the minimum wage, universal child care, um making sure. that people have access to affordable. housing. All of these things um are.

issues that come up over and over and. over again. And it's not just, right, Democrats who are coming to our events. It is Republicans. It's folks who say, you know, I've never been to a political. event before or I don't identify with. any political party, but I am super. freaked out about what I see happening. right now. And so I'm here and my, you. know, like invitation to people is that. like everybody is welcome right now. because it literally is all of us versus. extremist billionaires. And I am betting.

on us and people are waking up and they. know that the promises that Donald Trump. made right about affordability. uh those. promises are certainly not being. fulfilled. And that on top of the. absolute chaos and just risk um that. people uh are under every single day, even their personal safety with ICE, you. know, coming into our communities, it's. too much. So, I think folks are ready. Um I think people are ready for. Democrats to no longer fight from a.

defensive crouch. I think they want. people who, you know, are ready to be. bold, audacious and defiant when it. comes to tackling the status quo and. strongly worded letters uh are not how. we are going to win. Um we have to fight. for the things that people uh actually. you know need and what they deserve. And. you know, I was uh raised on the. Wellstone for Senate campaign in 2002. And my favorite quote from Paul.

Wellstone is sometimes you got to pick a. fight to win one. And I think that is. the kind of energy that we need right. now. We need progressive fighters um and. not institutional corporate Dems who are. going to get this seat to the the. highest bidder. Like we need to be. beholden to motans and to grassroots. folks who are being impacted right now. to that point, how can uh folks who are. looking to help your campaign, where can. they go? >> Sure. They can go to peggy flanigan.com. Um we'd love to have you on team Peggy. >> Awesome. I'm going to put that link. right here on the screen and also in the.

post description for those who are. listening on the podcast. I'm going to. put it in the show notes. Peggy. Flanigan, thanks so much for taking the. time. Best of luck in the campaign trail. and good luck um with uh with everything. that's going on in your state. >> Thanks so much. Appreciate you. [music].