Controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino Reassigned Out of Minneapolis

CNN reported Monday that controversial Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino will be leaving Minneapolis, where he has been overseeing operations and vehemently defending officers following the shooting death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti.

Anderson Cooper broke the news Monday afternoon, saying, “Sources tell CNN that top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and some of his agents are expected to leave Minneapolis tomorrow,” before tossing to reporter Priscilla Alvarez.

“This really is a major shift in strategy here by the Trump administration,” Alvarez began. “Recall, Gregory Bovino has been a key player in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and became, in many ways, the public face of that crackdown across cities in the country. Most recently, of course, in Minneapolis.”

“We are now being told by sources that he is going to be departing Minneapolis with some of his Border Patrol agents tomorrow and going back to their respective sectors,” Alvarez said. “Now, we’re also told that part of this has been influenced by the frustrations within the administration over the handling and the public response of Saturday’s shooting.”

Earlier Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hinted at Bovino’s reassignment, saying, “Mr. Bovino is a wonderful man and he’s a great professional. He is very much going to lead Customs and Border Patrol throughout and across the country. Mr. [Tom] Homan will be the main point of contact on the ground in Minneapolis.”

In addition to giving press conferences where he described his border patrol agents as the true “victims” in the incident with Pretti, Bovino spent the weekend sparring with lawmakers and journalists on social media.

After CNN’s Jake Tapper insinuated he was a liar, Bovino asked for proof, writing, “Then identify the lie, Jake. No one can seem to find this mysterious ‘lie’.”

Tapper was happy to oblige, posting reams of court documents where a judge wrote, ““Bovino admitted in his deposition that he lied multiple times.”

“Let me know if I can help with anything else,” Tapper wrote.

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