State Senator Jon Bramnick (R-21) says New Jersey Republicans need to take heed of the situation in Minnesota and what it means for their party and for their country. Following the killing this past Saturday of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal law enforcement officials, and the Trump Administration's vilification of the victim, Minnesota Republican candidate for Governor Chris Madel terminated his candidacy.

"I cannot support the National Republican Party's stated retribution on the citizens of our state nor can I count myself the member of a party that would do so," Madel said in a statement.

Bramnick, who ran for governor last year on a law-and-order platform, soberly sized up Madel's announcement.

"I think he believed he couldn't overcome the incredibly bad publicity and actions of ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] in Minnesota," the senator from Westfield told InsiderNJ. "He understood that he was stuck with the Republican brand in a state where the Republican brand is directly tied to the killing of American citizens. He couldn't defend the White House or ICE."

Madel knew he couldn't win by trying to defend the indefensible.

"He faced reality the same way Jack didn't face reality," said Bramnick, referring to Jack Ciattarelli, last year's Republican nominee for Governor who stood by Trump.

"Nobody wants you to be a puppet of Donald Trump in New Jersey or Minnesota," added the Union County Republican. "Well, I shouldn't say 'nobody,' but most. The sad part is some Republicans will blame anything but what ICE is doing."

Last night, Bramnick paid tribute to his two former running mates, Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz and Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis.

"They didn't lose because of who they are, they lost because of their party," Bramnick said.

And Trump leads the GOP.

An attorney by trade with a strong record of support for law enforcement, the Republican senator said,  "of course law and order is different than what ICE is doing with respect to immigration. Law and order is for people who committed serious crimes, who should be caught, prosecuted, and punished. There are no parallels between ICE and my position on law and order. They're completely different universes. If Trump was targeting the worst of the worst, everybody would be on board. Obviously, that's not what's happening."

As federal agents on Saturday pummeled Mr. Pretti to the street, they fired ten shots in less than five seconds, enraging Minnesotans and Americans and sparking questions about the identities and training regimen of the people hiding behind masks.

By way of context, from NPR:

"Just 10 years ago, the annual budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, was less than $6 billion — notably smaller than other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. But ICE's budget has skyrocketed during President Trump's second term, becoming the highest-funded U.S. law enforcement agency, with $85 billion now at its disposal.

"The windfall is thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted last July. After hovering around the $10 billion mark for years, ICE's budget suddenly benefited from a meteoric spike."

The feds last year brought charges against U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-10) after the congresswoman tried to investigate secretive detention facility Delaney Hall in her home city of Newark.

"Trump is trying to create his own fascist police force," said People's Organization for Progress founder Larry Hamm. "Instead of spending billions on tearing down this country and locking up our brothers and sisters, they should take those billions and use it on the people's needs: housing, jobs and healthcare."

Bramnick, for his part, said, "ICE is not trained."

He said he could not speak to their direct law enforcement preparation however he sees the results in Minneapolis.

"I can only tell you how they're reacting," he said. "If you watch NYC police officers, for example, or state police officers in New Jersey, they exhibit extensive training of people prepared to handle civil disorder. How ICE reacts is not consistent with [adequate] training. It takes training to resist your impulses. Your impulse could be to violently attack people screaming at you but law enforcement officers are trained not to do that."

Republicans became the anti-law and order party at the national level when they acquiesced to a pro-

MAGA, pro-Trump mob's 2021 desecration of the United States Capitol, which resulted in the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick from New Jersey; and Trump's subsequent pardoning of those rioters.

How does the Republican Party set a new course with Trump in charge?

"Our priority should be traditional values," said Bramnick. "The problem is we're getting drowned out by the Trump agenda. If the Republican Party continues to ignore what's coming out of the White House, it's only going to get worse. Certain counties in New Jersey can continue to be 100% committed to whatever Donald Trump does and will continue to get elected but not in the main. We're down to 23 GOP assembly people and Republicans want to ignore what's coming out of the White House? My district, LD-21, was Republican for decades, and my running mates lost last year. Jack Ciattarelli, with no separation from Trump, lost by 14 points. Maybe you should take notice of that. If we want to win statewide, say no to the MAGA base. How do you pardon 1,600 people who attacked police officers stand for law and order?"

Bramnick said Americans resist the law for politics at our own peril.

"If the House becomes Democrat, then you may see the most serious clash in the history of the country, because I'm not sure the White House would comply with what the House does, sparking a serious constitutional crisis," he said.

His friend, U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (R-7) faces a tough reelection bid this year as a Republican in a battleground district.

"Look at how Ciatterelli did in that district [he lost by a point]," Bramnick said. "It's a very, very competitive district now based on polling that shows voters unsupportive of Trump. Despite Tom Kean, Jr.'s history of being relatively moderate, he has the Republican brand."

The state senator said he supports strong national defense and the proper legal deportation of criminal undocumented people.

"There is a problem with undocumented persons coming across the border, using hospitals and schools, but how you approach that, how you handle that, is going to be the image for the Republican Party," Bramnick told InsiderNJ. "Yes, people don't want undocumented people using services. But how you handle that is tied to how you're going to be perceived. It's really important if Republicans are going to win, not simply to vilify the Democrats."