On January 7, during a large federal immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, Jonathan Ross, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, fatally shot U.S. citizen Renée Good. After the incident, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem quickly labeled Ms. Good a “domestic terrorist,” since, in her view, Ms. Good harbored malicious intent to harm a law enforcement official. The barrage of video evidence readily available does not conclusively prove that Ms. Good intended to harm Agent Ross, nor does it exonerate her. Secretary Noem’s public assertion, therefore, amounts to a rash judgment, impugning Ms. Good’s motives hastily and unjustly. Without a full and impartial investigation into the incident, Secretary Noem not only harmed Ms. Good’s reputation but also escalated an already precarious environment of social unrest in Minneapolis.
In a similar fashion, several commentators rushed to blame Agent Ross, hastily presuming he intended to harm Ms. Good instead of acting to protect himself from what he believed to be a legitimate threat. They, too, impugned another person’s motives without sufficient evidence. In both cases, prevarication supplanted proof, only worsening the deep political and social divides gripping the nation.
The devastating events of January 7, and the ensuing social unrest, demand statesmanship, not theatrics. Although it does not fall to the Secretary of Homeland Security to cultivate the body politic with moral leadership, one might expect the President of the United States to do so. Indeed, in his first inaugural address on January 20, 2017, President Trump promised to unite Americans. Before Almighty God, he told the nation: “The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans” (emphasis original).
Unfortunately, the President shirked moral responsibility when he hastily promoted the false accusation that Ms. Good “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over an ICE agent.” The ICE agent was not “run over,” and given Ms. Good’s death, there is no proof of her “intent.” If Mr. Trump meant what he said on January 20, one would expect the President to caution Americans against rushing to conclusions until an investigation produced results.
A statesman might pray for the family of Ms. Good, a mother of three children, while still assuring federal agents of his support. A statesman might invite Minnesota state and local officials to the White House to collaborate in quelling the instability and political violence unfolding on the streets. A statesman seeks to unite, not divide. Mr. Trump would do well to listen to some of his more noble predecessors—real statesmen who, despite their political leanings, fought for a united nation: a people bound by shared values, mutual respect, and recognition of the dignity of every human person.
Our nation needs more statesmen and fewer politicians. Perhaps one day we might once again hear the dulcet sounds of moral leadership, like that offered by Abraham Lincoln in his first inaugural address in 1861. As Lincoln reminded us: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.”
