Author Tiffany Cross tells CNN ICE agents are 'white supremacists' and Charlie Kirk was killed by a right-winger

Former MSNBC host and author Tiffany Cross drew pushback from fellow panelists after claiming on CNN that members of the Proud Boys have become Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and that ICE agents have “white supremacist” tattoos.

Cross made the remarks during an appearance on CNN’s “Newsnight” with host Abby Phillip, where she suggested that the absence of the Proud Boys from public view was tied to their alleged involvement with ICE.

"There is a reason why we have not seen a resurgence of the Proud Boys and that is because I believe a lot of them are likely made ICE officers. Again, I’ve said this on the show before. I’ve not seen any deep dive reporting into who these people are. But they certainly adopt a lot of the ideology, a lot of the tactics, a lot of the violent tactics, a lot of the wearing masks, and it sounds a lot like their founder, what they initially put out,” Cross claimed.

Kevin O’Leary, who was on the panel, interjected to ask, “Did you just say ICE officers are militia?” Cross affirmed her claim and added, “Have you not been paying attention?”

O’Leary accused Cross of “stretching” the truth, noting that ICE operates under federal and state mandates. Even Phillip chimed in to refute these claims, saying Cross was “making a supposition here” and that “there’s no concrete evidence of actual Proud Boy members.”

O’Leary warned Cross to “be careful” with her allegations. As the exchange escalated, Cross said, "I did not call them a Proud Boy militia, but I think it’s disgraceful that you’re sitting here," as O’Leary described her remarks as “way offside.”

Cross further alleged that ICE members were white supremacists and had “white supremacist tattoos,” prompting O’Leary to demand clarification.

“Okay, that’s…where are you going with this? Why would you say that?!” O’Leary said. “Men and women working for the federal government, risking their lives, carrying out a mandate, and they’re white supremacists?”

“And you’re a member of a cult,” Cross replied.

In a separate segment, Cross also drew backlash for saying the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was “not by a left-wing extremist.” She alleged that Kirk’s accused assassin, Tyler Robinson, "espoused very right-wing views." 

Those claims, however, have been disputed by people close to Robinson, including his mother, who said he identified as politically left-wing. Robinson was also reported to have been in a gay romantic relationship with his transgender-identifying roommate.