Casey Anthony—who drew national attention in 2011 after being acquitted of first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter—criticized Vice President JD Vance this week for defending an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
In a post on her Substack on Thursday, Anthony argued that Vance should “try consulting with someone other than the corrupt Attorney General of the United States” to understand how the Constitution and the legal system apply “to ALL citizens, yourself included.”
She also accused federal officials of pushing the matter out of Minnesota’s jurisdiction, writing that the administration was “complicit in taking this out of the hands of the State of Minnesota where the crime was committed.”
Newsweek reached out to Vance’s team by email outside normal business hours on Saturday afternoon after the White House referred questions to them.
Why It Matters
Anthony was charged in 2008 with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child, and four counts of providing false information to police after her daughter, Caylee Anthony, was found dead months after she was reported missing. A jury later acquitted her of all charges except the counts related to providing false statements to law enforcement.
In 2025, Anthony sought to reinvent herself as a legal advocate, launching a TikTok channel and a Substack that she said would help “give a voice to people” and provide tools and resources so they know “where they can turn to.”
What To Know
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) labeled Good a “domestic terrorist,” asserting she posed a threat to federal agents and that the ICE officer fired in self-defense. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other prominent Democrats have sharply criticized ICE’s actions.
The shooting has sparked protests in multiple cities over the past several days.
At a press conference Thursday, Vance said the agent had “absolute immunity” and was “doing his job,” while accusing Democrats and Walz of targeting the officer in order to “make this guy’s life miserable.”
Vance has also posted repeatedly on X responding to criticism of the officer and disputing aspects of media coverage.
Scrutiny intensified after video of the incident from the officer’s perspective was released Friday, with some critics arguing it conflicts with the administration’s account of what happened.
Anthony pushed back directly on Vance’s use of “absolute immunity,” writing that “there is no such thing as a federal law-enforcement officer having immunity because it is convenient for you and this Administration.”
Calling ICE officers “Gestapo agents,” she argued that the shooting should be handled like other officer-involved deaths and demanded transparency, including public release of investigative materials. She also criticized what she described as an effort to exclude Minnesota officials from the investigation.
On Friday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty urged members of the public to send any relevant video or evidence directly to her office, even as the Trump administration assigned the investigation solely to the FBI.
Anthony also called for any body camera footage to be released, saying the officer should be held accountable under the same standards that would apply if circumstances were reversed. She ended her post by saying officials should be held to their oath to uphold the Constitution and referenced what she described as multiple shootings since September.
What People Are Saying
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said at a news conference this week: “We’ve been warning for weeks that the Trump administration’s dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to our public safety, that someone was going to get hurt. What we’re seeing is the consequences of governance designed to generate fear, headlines and conflict.”
Vice President JD Vance wrote in part in a post on X on Thursday: “The gaslighting is off the charts and I’m having none of it. This guy was doing his job. She tried to stop him from doing his job. When he approached her car, she tried to hit him. A tragedy? Absolutely. But a tragedy that falls on this woman and all of the radicals who teach people that immigration is the one type of law that rioters are allowed to interfere with.”
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week: “I have just watched the clip of the event which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a horrible thing to watch. The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructive and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense.”
What Happens Next
The FBI is currently leading the investigation into Good’s death—an approach that some state officials have questioned amid concerns about impartiality and transparency.
