MAJOR announcement is BAD NEWS for lawless ICE agents

I'm joined now by the attorney general. of California, Rob Bont. Thanks for. joining me. >> Hey, Brian. Thanks for having me. >> So, we've watched these ICE agents, especially in Minnesota, just commit. crimes with abandon. We saw we saw that. with Renee Good. We saw it just a few. days ago with Alex Prey. And so, there. is this sense that they can act with. with complete impunity and and largely. that's held up by the fact that this. administration is refusing to even. investigate, much less prosecute any of. these people. But you and Governor Nuome. actually just came out with um with a. statement of your own pushing back.

against that idea. Can you explain what. that was? >> Yeah, absolutely. We issued guidance. today. My office at the California. Department of Justice from time to time. issues guidance to provide clarity on. the law, especially when the environment. is one where there may be doubt cast on. it or people confused or unsure. And the. federal government has been working. overtime to create a sense that local. and state prosecutors cannot investigate. or prosecute a federal official for a.

crime. And it's just not true. It's a. blatant misrepresentation of the law. Uh. it it is a um an unlawful representation. of uh existing authority. And you know. JD Vance has said that federal officials. have absolute immunity. Todd Blanch, the. uh United States Deputy Attorney. General, second in command for the DOJ, has said uh that uh local and state. prosecutor shouldn't even try to. investigate or prosecute federal. officials because it's feutal and it's.

illegal to do so. And and and that's. just absolutely wrong. uh they're. they're showing u that they are. committed to their beliefs in Minnesota. as they try to keep local and state. prosecutors away from the scene, away. from the evidence, not trying to prevent. them from conducting their own. independent investigation that they have. concurrent jurisdiction and complete. authority to do. And so it's a very. dangerous proposition. Um these. statements being made, this position. being staked out by the federal.

administration, uh it's dangerous, it's. wrong. Um, and it could lead to to real. harm if uh if federal immigration. enforcement agents think they can do. whatever they want to whomever they. want. Um, whenever they want and there. is no accountability, that's a recipe. for disaster. And we've seen disaster. already. Um, horrific, sickening um, killings of Renee Good and Alex Prey. And if there was a belief or if there. continues to be a belief that um if.

these are crimes um they can't be. prosecuted or that local and state. prosecutors cannot investigate to see if. there is a crime. Uh that's a problem. and and that is um contrary to what the. law provides. So we wanted to provide. clarity today u in in this moment in. this environment with the federal. administration lying and gaslighting uh. the American people on what the law. actually says. We wanted to tell people. what the law really says and to make. sure that local law enforcement and. state law enforcement in the state of.

California are aware that if there is a. crime committed by a federal agent on. California soil, uh, they can. investigate. They can prosecute. They. don't have to defer to the federal. government. And we're here at the. California DOJ to help and assist if. they need it. >> So, all right. So, you're here to let. these law to basically put these law. enforcement officials, these federal. officials on notice that if they break. the law, they are not immune from from. the consequences, uh, at least not in. California. But walk us through the. situation in Minnesota, for example, where you have the DHS that's precluding.

the BCA, these these state and local. investigators, from even gaining access. to the evidence. How do you begin a. prosecution when you can't even build a. case because the federal government has. basically bigfooted you and and. prevented you from gaining what you. would need to build your case? >> I mean, let me first say just how. unprecedented and inappropriate the. conduct from the federal government is u. by taking that position. Um, they are. basically saying that only we can. investigate for Renee good. We're not,

and they've said it at the beginning, we're not even going to look. We're not. even going to check. We're not even. going to look at the facts. And not only. are we not, you can't. And um you know. the the the decade after decade and. through presidential administration. after presidential administration, the. federal law enforcement officials have. worked handinhand with state and local. officials. Typically, the US DOJ, you. know, by custom would uh the civil. rights section would open an. investigation into the killings of Renee.

Good and Alex Prey and then, you know, go through their process, look at all. the facts, and then make an announcement. at some point so the public knows what. they found or what they concluded. But. they're not doing any of that. So, what. can uh a local or a state prosecutor do. if they are um being blocked by the. federal government inappropriately? Well, they can do what Minnesota is. doing and what Minneapolis is doing. they can go to court. One to get a court. order that says federal government, you. cannot destroy evidence material to a. potential crime. I mean, a a striking.

thing that a a federal court has to tell. the federal government that they can't. destroy evidence that could be evidence. of a crime. But here we are. And and if. they um uh don't hand over the evidence, they can also get a court order for that. uh because it's material evidence for a. potential crime. So, I believe uh the. the federal government is going to be. forced to do what the law requires, what. they should have been doing already, which is preserve evidence, not destroy. it, and hand it over to prosecutors who. have the jurisdiction to investigate and.

prosecute if they're not going to do it. themselves. >> You know, I I think that it's clear this. administration is going to put up any. roadblock that it can while they're in. power against prosecuting any of these. federal officials. you know, Trump, Vance, Gnome, Bo, Steven Miller, all of these people have. already begun to pre-clar any ICE agent. for any action that they've ever taken. There is nothing that these people could. do that the administration will not. defend. Is there a world in which um.

state prosecutors might just look at the. fact that there is still a statute of. limitations that usually extends five. years and recognizing that this. administration is not going to be in. office forever. Um that it might be. easier uh to seek accountability and. seek justice once there's not a DOJ. that's trying to block uh uh real. justice at the state level every step of. the way. I mean, you're absolutely right that. these ICE agents and immigration. enforcement officials are acting with. imunity, acting uh without any.

accountability and they're getting their. their message and their marching orders. from the top, >> right? >> When they hear things like you have. absolute immunity that, you know, that. reads as and is interpreted as, you. know, there's no accountability for us. We can do whatever we want to whoever we. want. Uh we can use excessive force. We. can search, we can seize, we can detain, and we can shoot as they have shown at. least on two horrific, sickening. occasions. And I've uh I I think it's. important for justice that the. accountability be connected close in. time to the action as close as possible.

And you know, maybe that's possible, maybe that's not. I think it is. Local. and state prosecutors can and should. prosecute immediately after a a. potential crime and and and take action. But uh I have heard that uh at least for. murder, uh there's no statute of. limitations. Most most other crimes have. some statute of limitations, some um. longer than others. But for murder, there's no statute of limitations. And. you know, so for example, if there's a. Democratic uh administration that that.

takes over in 2028, um they could still. do a look back at at these killings of. Renee Good and Alex Prey, and if they. think the facts justify it, they they. could still prosecute for murder. And uh. it depends on what the action is, what. the commission or omission is. if if. there's, you know, essentially the. equivalent of a cover up uh or. obstruction um or interference. Um you. know, >> I I know that everybody watching this. right now said is basically thinking the.

same thing, which is like, okay, obstruction, a cover up, interference. I. mean, check check. [laughter]. >> Yeah. I mean, I I just want to say that. that's different than like the United. States DOJ Civil Rights Division not. investigating. I I I don't think a. decision not to investigate makes. necessarily makes you an accessory after. the fact. But um but but you know, affirmative um uh hiding of a crime, protecting of a crime, defending of a. crime, obfuscation of a crime, uh. >> I mean, if if you know, if you have.

these officials coming out and saying uh. saying, "Oh, Alex Prey charged the ICE. agent," which wasn't true. Alex Prey was. uh brandishing a gun, which wasn't true. that he uh had every intention of of. inflicting maximum harm, which is. obviously impossible for anybody to know. unless you're inside of his head. Uh. that that Alex Prey was uh that that um. I mean the list goes on and on and on. We've heard every single lie that he was. a domestic terrorist. We've heard every. lie put forward by this administration. Um people who should know better and who.

obviously do know better and yet made. the conscious decision to offiscate the. facts knowing full well that it would. push forward their agenda. >> Yeah. You know, an important point. As. horrifying and sickening as the the. killing of Alex Prey was, the immediate. gaslighting and lying by our officials. at the highest level in the federal. government was just absolutely. disgusting. And, you know, shock. shocking but not surprising. It's what. they do. You know, it it's, you know, make your statement that that stakes out. your position first and check the facts.

later. And uh they don't care about the. facts and they were just going to. defend, you know, they had their. position already. They were going to. defend the ICE agents no matter what, >> right? Um, but you know, I think. accessory after the fact, I think it's. something worth looking at. There are. certain elements to every crime. We we. need to make sure that the crime that. those elements are met before there be. any appropriate charge. And and just to. kind of zooming out a little bit, but. still along the same lines, the reason. that I ask these questions and and that. I'm so interested in this topic in. particular is that I think that we were. deprived of having some sense of.

accountability after the 2020 election. where we watched basically as as Merrick. Garland refused to investigate or. prosecute Donald Trump for two full. years. even even two years in, he only. dained to appoint a special counsel and. there by then wasn't enough time to. actually see any real accountability. Obviously, he was able to to to delay. long enough that he could avoid uh. facing any justice really. And so there. is this sense that when Democrats are in. power that they will defer more to.

either preventing the optics of. politicization or seeking some type of. compromise or conferring goodwill onto. the other side. And this way we can. usher in some kumbaya bipartisan era. And of course it's only one side that. does that. And so it's so asymmetric. first and foremost. But then when the. Republicans come in obviously they'll. completely, you know, run rough shot. over democracy, over the rule of law, over the Constitution, you name it. And. so so that's the really frustrating part. of all of this. But can you talk about. the need, yes, to move forward in the.

aftermath of Trumpism and hopefully. relegate Trumpism to the dust bin of. history. But in order to do that, to get. some degree of closure, and to offer. something of a deterrent effect so that. these people don't eventually come back. into power and say the Democrats are. always going to be too weak and too. feckless and too impotent to ever hold. us to account for any of the crimes we. commit. So, you know, it's uh it's open. season as far as we're concerned. >> I think your observation is right that. it is asymmetric at times and I I think.

we shouldn't we also shouldn't do. whatever the Republicans do just because. they're doing it. you know, they they've. done things that should never be done. Uh but there should be accountability. for what they've done. And I think it's. important to be, you know, firm but. fair, consistent. Um you know, uh go. where the facts take you and let the. chips fall where they may. And and you. know, I I think we shouldn't worry about. the optics of politicization if the. truth is a crime was committed. It's. just straight up a crime. [clears throat] And people will, you.

know, put their um gloss on it and their. spin on it and they'll say it's. political. But if if if you got the. goods, if you got the receipts, if if. you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt, you know, that for a crime that a crime. has been committed and you can prove it. in court, charge it. And and it's. important that there be accountability. It it is painful and it does leave an. open wound and it does prevent healing. when people know that crimes have been. committed and there's no accountability. It it makes people not trust the system.

or maybe not trust the Democrats. Um, and you also lose trust as Trump has. found out the hard way when you. completely weaponize the US DOJ. When. you invol get engage in political. prosecution and um, political. persecution and not criminal prosecution. and you have an enemies list and you. target it and you gaslight the American. people when they can see with their own. eyes what happened to Renee Good and to. Alex Prey. So, I I think we need to um. be able to be more firm, more.

consistently, let the chips fall where. they may, charge crimes when we can. prove them. But I don't think we should. reach down to the depths of the. Republicans just cuz they're doing it. Um but we do have to be strong. We do. have to be firm and we do have to seek. and secure accountability. >> We'll leave it there. Attorney General. Rob Bont, thanks so much as always for. the time. >> My pleasure. Thanks, Brian. [music].