POLITICO Silent As Reporter Suggests Journalists Investigating Minneapolis Fraud Can Be Legally Shot

POLITICO remained silent after reporter Josh Gerstein suggested that daycare owners who did not take kindly to independent journalists exposing fraud could simply shoot them.

“At some point, the amateur effort to knock on doors of home daycares intersects with robust stand-your-ground laws,” Gerstein posted on X on December 29, and he drew backlash for it almost immediately.

Fox News late-night host Greg Gutfeld replied, “The media’s best argument for not doing real reporting — it’s safer working from home on your laptop, hitting ‘send’ after each piece you pasted together from other sources on the Trump (ballroom, hands, insult).”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also responded to Gerstein’s post, noting that daycare owners might use the same logic to justify shooting at federal agents who came to the door to investigate.

“You would think a ‘Senior Legal Affairs Reporter’ for POLITICO would know better than to tweet something inciting violence against federal agents,” the post read.

“1) Stand Your Ground does not permit the murder of door knockers 2) MN is not a SYG state 3) in no world should Somali fraudsters be encouraged to murder taxpaying US citizens for doing the journalism well-funded reporters refuse to do,” The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway replied.

“I’m sorry? Wut? Are you advising Somalis to shoot amateur reporters for knocking on their door?” David Marcus asked.

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“Reminder that journalists have absolutely no idea what Stand your Ground laws actually do, in what circumstances they apply, and why they were passed,” Charles C.W. Cooke added.

The Daily Signal’s Tony Kennett observed, “The senior legal affairs reporter for Politico suggesting ‘stand your ground’ laws means shooting people who knock on the doors of a daycare. My God.”

Gerstein attempted to do damage control a day later, commenting, “To observe that something is likely to happen or there’s a serious risk of it happening is not to advocate for it happening.”

But critics were not buying that either, as Matt Whitlock pointed out, “Have you considered that there wouldn’t be ‘amateur efforts to knock on doors of home daycares’ if there was a *professional effort to knock on doors of [fake] home daycares?* They used to call it ‘shoe leather journalism.’ Would those people also be likely to be shot?”

“Nice shoe leather journalism you’re doing there. Shame if someone stopped you from doing it by murdering you,” Stephen L. Miller posted.

“Hey @politico, come get your guy who is advocating the murder of American journalists,” Christopher Rufo challenged.

The Daily Wire pressed the outlet for a response to Gerstein’s statement and the ensuing backlash — and after asking when the deadline for a response might be, a publicist for POLITICO allowed that deadline to lapse (and then some) with no further communications.