On Monday’s CNN This Morning, CNN Visitor and WIRED contributor Garrett Graff praised Minnesota protestors for supposedly being non-violent and stated viral movies solely confirmed federal regulation enforcement being violent. In actuality, many different movies have proven protesters being violent, together with a riot exterior a lodge the place federal regulation enforcement was staying on Sunday night time into Monday morning.
The phase was part of CNN ‘Breaking Information’ protection pertaining to the capturing of Alex Pretti and the next unrest.
Host Audie Cornish launched a clip of FBI Director Kash Patel that talked about the necessity to “quell these riots” amid a development throughout the nation of “protests turning into violent eventualities and folks attacking regulation enforcement.”
Cornish appeared skeptical of Patel’s claims and famous the time period “quell riots” stood out to her. Graff responded to Cornish by claiming the Trump Administration hoped to impress extra incidents:
Yeah, completely. And I believe what you are seeing is that this narrative out of DHS, out of the White Home, out of the Trump Administration that claims that these are cities which might be uncontrolled and that – that they are attempting to impress the varieties of language and incidents that will enable them to show to the Rebellion Act.
Ignoring the riots in Minneapolis in a single day, CNN and WIRED contributor Garrett Graff claims each video from town reveals “solely” federal regulation enforcement “commits all of the violence”:
“And the factor that basically strikes me is that at just about each scene that yow will discover on-line… pic.twitter.com/yLgxJFKjQB— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) January 26, 2026
Graff continued and claimed all Minnesota protests had been peaceable:
And the factor that basically strikes me is that at just about each scene that yow will discover on-line in these viral movies, the violence is being executed solely by the ICE and CBP officers. So, they form of present up in a peaceable scenario and commit the entire violence.
And I believe that that is precisely what we noticed with the capturing on Saturday, that this was a confrontation that federal officers started, after which in mere seconds, escalated into lethal power.”
After Graff’s feedback, Cornish requested if protestors had been on their very own and state leaders weren’t doing sufficient resulting from “concern of the administration.”
Graff pushed again and recommended ‘brave’ people:
I believe, really, Audie, it isn’t proper to say that they are on their very own. As a result of what’s so exceptional to me about Minnesota and so most of the different communities the place this has occurred is how brave the person residents have been. (…) You recognize, you noticed the mass protests in Minneapolis on Friday, not like something we’ve got ever seen in a serious American metropolis in fashionable occasions. And I believe many Individuals are this and saying that the braveness of Minnesotans is contagious throughout the nation.
Graff’s feedback are out of contact with actuality, particularly when there are video and picture examples of violence. This consists of riots exterior inns with federal regulation enforcement, an officer having their finger bitten off, and lots of others scene of violence.
NOW: Lodge tries to barricade entrance entrance as Anti-ICE Protesters throw snowballs and lightweight fireworks. One individual rips the placard off the lodge with a shovel pic.twitter.com/agh7F14Mjn
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) January 26, 2026
His ridiculous statements are nothing new because of the fixed omission of violence by leftist protestors since 2020, however one might anticipate higher.
The transcript is under. Click on to increase:
CNN This Morning
January 26, 2026
6:23:25 a.m. Japanese(…)
AUDIE CORNISH: Um, you have additionally talked about – I wish to play for you, really, Kash Patel of the FBI, as a result of he was requested about all of this on Sunday. And right here is how he tried to color the image on the bottom.
[Cuts to video]
KASH PATEL (FBI Director): It’s a powerful time proper now, however I consider that our regulation enforcement officers on the bottom, DHS, FBI, native police forces throughout the nation are transferring in the appropriate path, and we’ll quell these riots, and we’ll prevail. [Transition] However you will have seen a development right here, not simply in Minnesota, however throughout the nation in these protests turning into violent eventualities and folks attacking regulation enforcement. That is once you go over the road, and that is when regulation enforcement steps in.
[Cuts back to live]
CORNISH: Are you able to speak about how they’re attempting to painting what’s taking place on the bottom? Actually, quell riots struck out – caught out to me.
GARRETT GRAFF: Yeah, completely. And I believe what you are seeing is that this narrative out of DHS, out of the White Home, out of the Trump Administration that claims that these are cities which might be uncontrolled and that – that they are attempting to impress the varieties of language and incidents that will enable them to show to the Rebellion Act.
And the factor that basically strikes me is that at just about each scene that yow will discover on-line in these viral movies, the violence is being executed solely by the ICE and CBP officers. So, they form of present up in a peaceable scenario and commit the entire violence. And I believe that that is precisely what we noticed with the capturing on Saturday, that this was a confrontation that federal officers started, after which in mere seconds, escalated into lethal power.
CORNISH: Trying ahead, are residents who’re dissatisfied, upset with ICE techniques and the way the administration is pushing ahead its operations, are they on their very own? Are the leaders of states sort of too afraid of the administration to search out another path to push again?
GRAFF: I believe, really, Audie, it isn’t proper to say that they are on their very own. As a result of what’s so exceptional to me about Minnesota and so most of the different communities the place this has occurred is how brave the person residents have been. That what you will have really seen is that individuals are not alone on the streets and that there are different neighbors keen to step ahead at virtually each single one among these incidents. You recognize, you noticed the mass protests in Minneapolis on Friday, not like something we’ve got ever seen in a serious American metropolis in fashionable occasions. And I believe many Individuals are this and saying that the braveness of Minnesotans is contagious throughout the nation.
CORNISH: Okay, Garrett Graff, thanks. Respect it.
