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Chris Madel to leave Republican party after ending bid for Minnesota governor? ‘Cant’ count myself a…'
Chris Madel, a Minneapolis lawyer, exits the Republican gubernatorial race after federal authorities' deadly actions against protesters.
Chris Madel, a lawyer based in Minneapolis who represented the immigration agent responsible for the fatal shooting of Renee Good, announced on Monday that he is withdrawing from his Republican campaign for governor of Minnesota following the death of a second protester at the hands of federal authorities.
Chris Madel declares ‘can’t consider myself a member of party that…'
“I cannot endorse the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state,” Madel stated in a video message shared on social media, “nor can I consider myself a member of a party that would engage in such actions.” He, however, has not clarified in his statement if he has decided to quit the Republican party too.
Madel, who has not previously held an elected position, initiated his candidacy in December as a political outsider and a staunch advocate for law enforcement. As one of nearly a dozen candidates in the Republican primary for governor, he had received the endorsement of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis.
This month, he attracted attention for providing legal counsel to Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who shot Good, a 37-year-old woman from Minneapolis, on January 7.
“Operation Metro Surge has expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threat,” Madel stated in a video statement posted on X. “United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear. United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That’s wrong.”
Chris Madel calls out people's arrests ‘due to the color of their skin'
He stated that an excessive number of US citizens in Minnesota have been apprehended by ICE “due to their skin color.” He further slammed the Department of Homeland Security's action to enter residences without a criminal warrant.
“Driving while Hispanic is not a crime,” he remarked. “Nor is driving while Asian.”
Madel's move comes two days after the incident in which federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, who was demonstrating against immigration policies.
