White House sidelines Bovino amid fallout from fatal shootings
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
In the immediate aftermath of Alex Pretti’s shooting by federal law enforcement agents, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino was characteristically bombastic in his comments and actions.
He said it looked like Pretti wanted to “massacre law enforcement”. His agents quickly distributed a photograph of Pretti’s handgun, implying that alone was grounds for the use of deadly force. Local law enforcement accused Bovino’s Border Patrol agents of failing to secure evidence and refusing to cooperate with their investigation into the shooting.
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As with the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis weeks earlier, the president may have sensed the initial message from his officials was out of step with the public – and contradicted by ample video evidence.
Now Bovino is out – reassigned to other duties, according to US media partner CBS News. His exit comes as the White House has shifted how it is responding to fallout from Pretti’s death, which has included criticism not just from the president’s political opponents but from within law enforcement and his own party.
Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar” is now handling all facets of the Minnesota operation and reporting directly to the president. Homan, while still an advocate of Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies, has more experience navigating American politics and is more measured in his public statements.
The confrontation and conflict that has engulfed Minneapolis may not be over, but with Bovino sidelined, the administration may be looking for a way to turn down the heat.
Gregory Bovino will leave the city as Trump orders in 'border tsar' Tom Homan, as calls grow for an independent investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.
www.bbc.co.uk