Stephen Colbert says Trump admin's ICE shooting narrative is a warning for America: 'Obey or die'
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ host Stephen Colbert chimed in on the recent Minneapolis shooting during an episode of his show on Thursday, January 8, as part of his opening monologue.
During the monologue, the talk show host criticized the Trump administration’s stance on the shooting as they defended the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, claiming that she had attempted to run the officer over with her car, which had caused the ICE agent to open fire in self-defense.
Colbert alleged that the administration’s message was clear: They wanted citizens to “obey or die.”
Stephen Colbert slams Trump administration for the Minneapolis shooting
During his opening monologue on Thursday’s episode of ‘The Late Show’, Stephen Colbert chimed in on the video circulating online of Renee Nicole Good being fatally shot by an ICE agent.
Colbert didn’t play the video of the shooting but stated that in the video previously shared by The New York Times, Good appeared to be turning away from the officer.
He also stated that The Washington Post reported that the ICE agent was able to move out of the way and fire two shots from the side of the vehicle.
“It sure looks like a federal agent gunned down an American citizen without cause in front of witnesses on a city street,” Colbert said.
The talk show further commented on the Trump administration’s response to the shooting, as they had previously said that the ICE agent had acted in self-defense.
He said that the administration was telling people that they didn’t see a federal agent shoot a woman in cold blood but that they saw him respond to an “act of domestic t*******m.”
“They’re telling you to believe them and not your eyes,” he added.
Stephen Colbert calls for citizens to stand against government-sanctioned violence
Stephen Colbert argued that the recent Minneapolis shooting was the 9th ICE shooting since September, as per the New York Times. He added that it was less of an anomaly and more of a trend.
As he quoted a CBS News article, he added that not only was the Trump administration trying to spin the narrative of the shooting, but they were also trying to withhold evidence.
The new article claimed that the Minnesota investigators alleged that the FBI had blocked them from accessing evidence related to Renee Good’s shooting.
"This should be an alarm bell for the entire country,” Colbert warned his viewers.
He added that, despite which state people lived in, they could not let such behavior continue. The talk show host also argued that, regardless of which party people voted for, one day, they could have “unaccountable armed government agents acting with impunity in your town.”
“So peacefully, and non-violently, please let your leaders know you don’t want that,” Stephen Colbert said.