NBC’s Vespa: Vance Claimed ‘Without Evidence’ Renee Good Was a Radical Lefty (She Was)

Friday morning on NBC’s Today, correspondent Maggie Vespa misled viewers by telling them from the scene of anti-Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota that, a day earlier at the White House, Vice President JD Vance stated “without evidence” that the woman who died when she hit an ICE officer with her (which was confirmed Friday afternoon in a video released by Alpha News) was a radical leftist.

Vespa made the claim despite there having been reporting more than 12 hours earlier by the New York Post that said Good “was an anti-ICE ‘warrior’ and was part of a group of activists who worked to ‘document and resist’ the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota.”

Here was how Vespa framed the Vice President’s remarks, including the “without evidence” lie:

Vespa returned in the second hour to double down in peddling this disinformation: “The Trump administration defending Ross’s actions with Vice President JD Vance saying without evidence that good was ‘radicalized.’”

For the record, here was Vance’s full back-and-forth with O’Donnell:

 

Back over in reality, here was what Post reporters Steven Vago, Chris Nesi and Natalie O'Neill said early Thursday evening (click “expand”):

Good, who moved to the city last year, linked up with the anti-ICE activists through her 6-year-old son’s woke charter school, which boasts that it puts “social justice first” and prioritizes “involving kids in political and social activism,” multiple local sources said.

“She was a warrior. She died doing what was right,” a mother named Leesa, whose child attends the same school, told The Post at a growing vigil where Good was killed Wednesday.

“I know she was doing the right thing. I watched the video plenty of times but I also know in my heart the woman she was, she was doing everything right.”

(....)

Just as many others did in the lefty enclave, Good sent her son to Southside Family Charter School, a K-5 academy opened in 1972 that from its inception has been “unabashedly dedicated to social justice education,” according to co-founder Susie Oppenheim.

It was through her involvement in the school community that Good became involved in “ICE Watch” — a loose coalition of activists dedicated to disrupting ICE raids in the sanctuary city.

To quote MRC Bulldog Award winner Ben Shapiro, facts don’t care about your feelings.

To see the relevant NBC transcript from January 9, click “expand.”

NBC’s Today
January 9, 2026
7:06 a.m. Eastern

LAURA JARRETT: To Minneapolis now. A second night of protests th amid new questions about the ICE officer’s shooting of a woman behind the wheel of her car. NBC’s Maggie Vespa joins us with that story. Maggie, good morning.

07:06:37 AM

Reporter: Hey, Laura. Good morning. Yeah, following more explosive protests overnight police actually closing several blocks around the intersection where Wednesday’s fatal shooting happened, trying to keep the peace as the Trump administration vows immigration raids will continue. Overnight tensions rising nationwide, amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown crowds gathering in cities across the country including New York, Columbus, Dallas, LA, and Minneapolis where the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent kicked off a nationwide response. The officer who killed 37-year-old, mother of three Renee Good now identified as Jonathan Ross. DHS telling NBC News Ross was seriously injured in a traffic stop here six months ago when he tried to arrest an undocumented, convicted sex offender who dragged Ross 50 yards with his car. Six months later, this fateful moment. Police say Good was blocking the road with her SUV. You can see officers approach, Ross stepping in front of it. Good reverses before accelerating forward while turning. That’s when authorities say Ross fired multiple shots. The Trump administration defending his actions, including Vice President JD Vance in a rare appearance in the White House Briefing Room saying without evidence that Good was radicalized Pressed by NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell —

KELLY O’DONNELL [TO VANCE]: Is there a risk with you describing her as a deranged leftist, talking about very specific facts of these events when an investigation is just beginning?

[SCREEN CUT]

VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: Well, first of all, the Department of Justice is going to investigate this in this case. [SCREEN WIPE] You have a woman who was trying to obstruct a legitimate law enforcement operation. [SCREEN WIPE] I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing it’s a tragedy of her own making.

VESPA: — while local officials, including the city’s mayor, dispute the Trump administration’s narrative and some expressing frustration with the investigation.

GOVERNOR TIM WALZ (D-MN): It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome and I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgment.

VESPA: So amid all of the unrest, new overnight, The New York Times reporting the Trump administration now plans to deploy more than 100 U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents here to the Minneapolis area, with the acting ICE director saying operations here will continue.

(....)

8:05 a.m. Eastern

VESPA: Amid more protests overnight, police for a time closing this intersection and several blocks around it, pushing the media back, pushing the public back, trying to keep the peace and Minneapolis was far from alone. We saw protests across the country including in New York, Columbus, Dallas and LA, all in the wake of Wednesday’s fatal ICE Shooting in Minneapolis. The officer who shot and killed 37-year-old mother of three, Renee Good, now identified as Jonathan Ross. The Trump administration defending Ross’s actions with Vice President JD Vance saying without evidence that good was “radicalized.” Meanwhile the acting ICE director saying operations here will continue, and new overnight, The New York Times reporting the administration is sending more than 100 customs and border protection agents here to the area. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz blasting the administration for refusing to pull back and authorizing Minnesota’s National Guard to be ready to support local law enforcement here through the weekend.