I started my day intending to write about the details surrounding SEIU California President David Heurta’s assault in June revealed in a motion to dismiss and a motion to compel discovery filed yesterday. And I’ve been meaning to do a post on what much coverage of the dismissal of the case against Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a TikToker ICE shot on October 21, has not said: Basically DOJ avoided giving Parias due process by stashing him in a GEO detention facility and preventing his criminal defense attorneys any access, effectively escaping accountability for the shooting that way.
But later in the day, a DHS officer shot and killed an ICE observer, Renee Good, in Minneapolis. Both the Star Tribune and MPR have a running threads of developments.
Here’s a tracker of all the people ICE have shot, including a guy in San Diego shot after he shot his own gun to celebrate the New Year only to have an off-duty ICE officer kill him.
And so instead I’m going to float a suspicion I’ve been nursing.
In Greg Bovino’s deposition for the Chicago Book Club lawsuit, plaintiffs counsel Locke Bowman asked whether Kristi Noem gave him direction on the use of force. She does not.
Q Do you report to Secretary Noem to receive direction as to the use of force in the course of Operation Midway Blitz?
A Are you asking if — if she gives me driection —
Q Yes, sir.
A –to use of force?
Q Yes. If she gives you direction as to how and when to employ force?
A No.
But when Bowman asked Bovino if he had spoken to Stephen Miller about use of force, the DOJ lawyer, Sarmad Khojasteh, instructed him not to answer.
Q All right. How about Mr. Miller, have you spoken with Mr. Miller on the subject of employment of force and the issues of crowd control that you were facing in Operation Midway Blitz?
Mr. Khojasteh: Object to form. I’m going to instruct the witness not to answer to the extent that it — doing so would implicate executive privilege.
Q Okay. So there has been an invocation of privilege, and you are not answering the question based on that invocation, correct, sir?
A That’s correct.
Q I will ask the same question generally. Other than the two individuals I have mentioned, have you spoken with any of your superiors in the executive branch with respect to the issue of crowd control and the application of force in the course of Operation Midway Blitz?
Mr. Khojasteh: Object to form. Lacks foundation. Vague as to superiors in the executive branch.
Q I’ll stand on the question. Could you answer, please?
A Sir, could you be more specific, please?
Q In what respect?
A Who in the executive branch?
Q I’m asking anyone in the executive branch.
Mr. Khojasteh: Then I’m — if you’re going to be that vague about it, Counsel, I’m going to instruct the witness not to answer to the — that to the extent that doing so would reveal executive communications.
Q All right. Without revealing executive communications, and my question didn’t ask for the revelation of communications, can you answer, please?
A Based on the advice of my lawyer, no.
Q I’m not sure — was there an instruction not to answer as to the last question that I propounded?
Mr. Khojasteh: I’m not even sure I understood the last question you propounded.
Q Well, so there was no instruction?
Mr. Khojasteh: Well, I think — I thought it was the same question that I had —
Q Okay.
Mr. Khojasteh: — given the instructions.
Bovino: That’s what I thought. That’s the way I thought.
Q. Okay. All right. So is it true, with respect to the application of force and crowd control, that you take your orders from the executive branch, whether that’s President Trump or Secretary Noem?
Mr. Khojasteh: Object to form. Lacks foundation. Asked and answered.
Bovino: Can you repeat that, please?
Q Yes. Is it true, with respect to the application of force and the matter of crowd control during the course of Operation Midway Blitz, that you take your orders from the executive branch, whether that’s President Trump or Secretary Noem?
Mr. Khojasteh: I’m going to instruct the witness not to answer to the extent that doing so would reveal communications between he and the President.
Q I didn’t ask to reveal communications. I asked if what I just read is a true statement.
Mr. Khojasteh: Yeah, but embedded in your question is the substance of the communication you’re asking, right?
Q This calls for a yes or no. Can you answer it, yes or no?
Mr. Khojasteh: I’m going to instruct you not to answer as with — as it relates to communications with President Trump or anyone in the White House.
Bowman also noted that in a TV appearance, Bovino said he took his instructions from the Executive Branch, whether Trump or Kristi Noem.
The implication is fairly clear: That Stephen Miller is the one instructing him on use of force.
Greg Bovino was present for today’s shooting.
In the wake of the shooting, Tricia McLaughlin, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, and Donald Trump all have told vicious lies about the shooting; their lies aren’t even consistent with each other, much less the video.
The shooting comes in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that Trump can’t deploy the National Guard to cities unless he has first resorted to active duty troops.
It’s time to ask whether Stephen Miller ordered Greg Bovino to shoot those who document DHS’ invasions.