DOJ's Blanche says agent was forced to defend himself
Deputy Attorney General of the United States
“We don't just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody. We investigate when it's appropriate to investigate.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Reports the Justice Department's Jan. 19, 2026 decision not to open a federal criminal investigation into the shooting, quoting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Blanche made the remarks in a Fox News interview after the Justice Department decided not to open a civil rights investigation into the shooting.
After the quotation
Blanche said video of the shooting had already been reviewed by millions of Americans because it was recorded on phones.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Was ICE Officer Jonathan Ross justified in fatally shooting Renée Good?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
Blanche adopts and repeats the framing that Ross acted in self-defense as the basis for declining to investigate, endorsing the justification DHS has offered rather than merely disputing terminology.
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- People and groups discussed
- Jonathan Ross
Was ICE Officer Jonathan Ross justified in fatally shooting Renée Good?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
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