Alek Skarlatos
Role at the time: Oregon state representative (R-Winston), speaking at a press conference of Republican legislators in Salem
Statement summary
Rep. Alek Skarlatos said the elected officials holding press conferences on the shooting were raising the temperature at the worst possible time. He said they should take pause and let the facts come out instead of jumping on the bandwagon of throwing law enforcement under the bus.
“These are elected leaders statewide. These aren't just random people that are giving these press conferences They are raising the temperature at the worst possible time after what happened in Minneapolis. It should be more of a reason for them to take pause and let the facts come out instead of just jumping on the bandwagon of throwing law enforcement under the bus.”
KGW report on a press conference held by Republican legislators in Salem on January 11, 2026.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The case asks whether the Border Patrol agent was justified in shooting the two people. Skarlatos did not address the agent's conduct directly. He said elected officials were raising the temperature and should let the facts come out instead of throwing law enforcement under the bus. That disputes how other officials framed the shooting and does not say the shooting was justified, so we used the label Challenged the characterization.