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FBI Director Kash Patel made no attempt to sugarcoat the situation on Sunday Morning Futures — he put violent agitators on notice and warned that the federal government will not tolerate attacks on officers or willful obstruction of law enforcement. Patel told Maria Bartiromo the FBI is taking threats seriously and that if people cross the line and assault law enforcement, federal resources will be brought to bear to find and prosecute them. That hard-line message is exactly what the country needs when mobs begin to think they can operate with impunity.
The backdrop to Patel’s warning is the deadly confrontation in Minneapolis, where Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti during a chaotic scene that has been captured, replayed, and debated across the nation. Video and witness accounts have produced sharp disagreements with federal accounts, and the killing has ignited mass anti-ICE demonstrations from coast to coast that refuse to let the story die. This unrest is not abstract — it is a direct consequence of the administration’s aggressive deployments and the ripple effect on communities where federal agents now operate.
On air, Bartiromo pressed Patel to explain what evidence showed about the shooting, and Patel pushed back for trust in the investigators while reiterating that violent behavior at protests will not be tolerated. He said the FBI is processing physical evidence, including the firearm in question, and that the bureau will lead efforts to hold those who attack officers accountable. Conservatives should be clear-eyed here: standing with law enforcement doesn’t mean ignoring oversight, but it does mean defending the men and women who put themselves between chaos and our neighborhoods.
Kash Patel’s posture reflects a renewed seriousness about crime and national security that many Americans have been demanding for years. As FBI director he has made it plain that the bureau’s mission is to hunt down bad actors, restore order, and support local partners — a mission that had drifted in recent years and is now being reset. The American people deserve an FBI that enforces the law without political theater; Patel’s rhetoric, at least, promises results and accountability from the top.
Those promises are starting to pay off in hard numbers: under Patel’s leadership the FBI has touted high-profile captures of dangerous fugitives, including the recent takedown of Ryan Wedding in Mexico — a milestone touted by FBI officials as marking the bureau’s ongoing success against transnational crime. That kind of international cooperation and resolve sends the right message to criminal networks and to would-be domestic agitators alike: law enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice. Americans tired of rising violent crime should welcome an FBI that treats criminals, not politics, as its first priority.
At the same time, local and state leaders have enabled a poisonous narrative that excuses violence and sows distrust in law enforcement, turning protests into cover for criminality and intimidation. Cities like Los Angeles and Minneapolis have seen demonstrations escalate into dangerous confrontations, exposing the limits of sanctuary-style politics when they collide with federal enforcement priorities. If state and local officials want federal help, they must stop sabotaging it with half-baked politics and start working with prosecutors and investigators to restore public safety.
There must also be accountability and transparency in serious use-of-force incidents, and the courts are already stepping in to preserve evidence in Minneapolis while investigations continue. A federal judge has ordered DHS and related agencies not to destroy or alter evidence in the Pretti shooting as state investigators press for answers, and that legal oversight is exactly what should be expected in a mature system of checks and balances. Conservatives should demand both vigorous enforcement against real criminals and full, transparent investigations so justice — not political point-scoring — prevails.
