A majority of the leadership team at the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office resigned on Jan. 13 over the direction of the Justice Department under the Trump administration. Among those who resigned was Joe Thompson, the lead federal prosecutor and public voice on uncovering rampant fraud in Minnesota.
The departures of several prosecutors stemmed from directives from top federal officials to staff members after the killing of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, according to sources familiar with the decision. That included blocking the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) from the investigation into the shooting and a request from the Justice Department to investigate Good’s widow for possible federal charges. A source also said Thompson’s resignation resulted from a general frustration that a surge of immigration enforcement in Minnesota ordered by the Trump administration has “eclipsed” fraud investigations by the office.
Because Thompson et al resigned due to what appears to be an overreach by the Trump DOJ, it provided an opportunity for Nebraska Fats Gov. Tim Walz to pile on.
Joe is a principled public servant who spent more than a decade achieving justice for Minnesotans. This is a huge loss for our state.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 13, 2026
It’s also the latest sign Trump is pushing nonpartisan career professionals out of the justice department, replacing them with his sycophants.
Principled public servant, eh? Funny, Tim, but that wasn't the tone you struck a week ago when you basically said Thompson shouldn't even be on the fraud case and then flat out accused him of a crime.
Here’s Tim Walz calling for Joe Thompson to be fired… *checks notes* …last week.
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) January 13, 2026
Fascinating. https://t.co/758GqKIGOk pic.twitter.com/aUFIDfQ9tQ
He really does think we're stupid.
Anyhow, the larger issue at hand is how this development puts the screws to the Minnesota taxpayers even worse than before. When Thompson was first addressing the fraud issues last year, he said then his office was so overwhelmed by the magnitude of the scandal. But now that there have been mass resignations, justice will be delayed that much more. For all the bluster Trump put forth is rooting out the fraud in Minnesota, his administration's latest actions effectively help blunt the investigation now that the U.S. Attorneys office is even more understaffed than when Thompson expressed how resources were being spread thin.
I'm all for enforcing our immigration laws, but denying basic investigative protocols (i.e. scrutinizing the actions of the shooter) give appearances that enforcement is selective.
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