During an on-air exchange, Rob Finnerty and Benny Johnson discussed recent protest-related incidents, focusing on accountability, the use of force, and what Johnson described as selective outrage surrounding political violence.
Finnerty questioned the circumstances surrounding the death of Alex Pretti , a 37-year-old ICU nurse involved in a confrontation with police, and raised the possibility that Pretti may have been influenced or encouraged to participate.
“Benny, do you think that this, this 37 year old ICU nurse Alex Pretti might have been, might have been paid to be out there. You saw the quote from his father. His father said, look, go out and protest all you want. Don’t get involved. Don’t do something stupid, his words, but he certainly did, didn’t he?” Finnerty said.
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Johnson rejected any framing that cast Pretti as a victim or hero, arguing that the available evidence pointed to criminal conduct.
“I’m sorry, but if you put all the evidence together, Rob, I’m just, I’m not going to accept this false premise that somehow this is a martyr,” Johnson said.
He compared the situation to other armed confrontations with police, saying, “If you or I or a member of anyone’s security team, let’s say if a Secret Service agent started to fight with a bunch of cops and he was armed, I mean, you can expect a bad outcome.”
Johnson said the presence of a loaded firearm and resistance to law enforcement changed the nature of the encounter.
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“When you come with a loaded firearm with a bullet chambered, which is what happened here, and you start fighting with the cops, that’s exactly what he did. He committed a crime here,” Johnson said.
“All right, let’s just look at all available evidence. Alex Pretti committed a crime. He fought and resisted arrest. He fought with Federal officers.”
Johnson also referenced another incident involving Renee Good, describing it as an example of escalation during protests.
“Same thing with Renee Good. When a good was sitting in her car, the officer comes up and says, Get out of the vehicle. Instead, she punches it and then hits one of the officers and causes internal bleeding, nearly kills him,” Johnson said.
He added, “She stared down the barrel of that vehicle and tried to run over the officer. That’s that’s a that’s a homicide.”
The discussion then shifted to what Johnson described as hypocrisy from political activists and commentators who, in his view, celebrate or excuse violence when it suits their agenda.
“I will not be lectured to. I will not be moralized. I will not be gas lit. I’m not going to be scolded by a group of individuals who snickered as Charlie Kirk’s got his neck blown off on a live stream,” Johnson said.
He continued by accusing those critics of celebrating violence and mocking victims and their families.
Johnson cited multiple examples to support his argument.
“They laughed in our faces. They celebrated. They warned Donald Trump that they’d get a better sniper next time when Trump missed a bullet,” he said.
“They praised Luigi Mangione. They celebrated and lionized Luigi Mangione. They have never, ever mourned Ashley Babbitt.”
He said other victims were similarly ignored.
“They’ve never mourned Laken Riley. They’ve never mourned Catherine none gray. They’ve never, ever one time done a march for Iryna Zarutska,” Johnson said, arguing that the disparity revealed deeper motives. “Why? Because they actually don’t care about American lives.”
Johnson concluded by framing the issue as a moral one.
“Every American life lost is a tragedy, whether it’s fentanyl or whether it’s a shooting in the street, it’s all a tragedy. I don’t want my fellow Americans to die,” he said.
“At least I have the moral clarity, and our side has the moral clarity to say it, Rob.”
Finnerty closed the exchange by endorsing Johnson’s remarks, saying, “Yeah, great point. Well Said, Benny.”
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