Pritzker dismisses ex-police officer’s call for 2nd Amendment use against ICE

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., on Sunday rejected a call from former D.C. police officer Michael Fanone, who was injured during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, urging Americans to use their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

CNN’s Jake Tapper played a “State of the Union” clip featuring Fanone in Lincoln Square “Protect and Serve” podcastFollowing the shooting in Minneapolis, it was revealed that he encouraged Americans to use guns to defend themselves against ICE.

“It is time for the American people to exercise their Second Amendment rights to organize and protect themselves from what has become a clearly unaccountable and lawless organization that is killing Americans,” Fanone told host Maya May on the podcast.

Fanone also said he didn’t need to hear police calls to protest peacefully, adding, “F—you and f— that.”

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After the clip, Tapper asked for Pritzker’s reaction.

“Well, violence is inappropriate in any of these situations,” Pritzker said. “And in fact, I told the protesters, the overwhelming majority of whom were peaceful protesters, to keep the violence out of this. Make sure you protest peacefully, speak up for America, but make sure you don’t give the administration any excuses for trying to send in the National Guard.”

He noted that Illinois has so far won lawsuits to block the deployment of National Guard troops to the state.

Pritzker continued: “We won in our cases, but that’s partly because we didn’t create any situation where an insurrection or insurrection appeared to be taking place.” Pritzker continued. “Our protesters are doing the right thing, and we shouldn’t be having any conversations about people bringing guns and civilians matching their forces with law enforcement. What we need is law enforcement at the federal level to step back, do their job, follow the protocols, do the right thing.”

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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks at a press conference in Chicago on September 2, 2025. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

In the first hour of the extended special edition of “State of the Union,” Bryan Lanza, a former senior adviser to the Trump 2024 campaign, addressed Fanone’s comments.

“CNN’s favorite cop is Michael Fanone. You know, he talks about people using guns to defy ICE inspections to deal with these situations. What’s going on on the left is really a tension. I think it needs to stop,” Lanza said.

Tapper stated that Fanone no longer works for CNN, while Lanza called his remarks “despicable.”

“He literally wants a confrontation with law enforcement and citizens, an exchange of weapons,” Lanza added.

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Michael Fanone attended the 15th Annual CNN Heroes: All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History on December 12, 2021 in New York City. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN)

Fanone criticized Tapper in a November interview, specifically calling out Tapper for his book “The Original Sin” about former President Joe Biden.

Fanone told Tommy Christopher: “Tapper is kind of like a clown. I mean, he always struck me as kind of an opportunist. He’s literally like J.D. Vance.” in a Substack interview. “In that sense, I felt like he had mobility, upward mobility for himself, and going wherever he saw an opportunity.”

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Similarly, he challenged CNN about hosting a town hall with then-candidate Donald Trump in 2024.