Several career federal prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Minnesota resigned Tuesday, a move that sharpened the clash between the Trump administration and Minnesota officials over the ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good.
The departures were from federal offices, not Minnesota state prosecutor agencies.
The prosecutors work for the Justice Department inside Minnesota, while a separate set of resignations hit the department's Civil Rights Division in Washington.
In Minnesota, Sahan Journal reported that Joe Thompson, the second-highest federal prosecutor in the district and a former acting U.S. attorney, resigned along with other senior assistant U.S. attorneys, including Melinda Williams and Harry Jacobs. Sahan Journal also reported that longtime prosecutor Tom Hollenhorst announced retirement.
Thompson wrote in an office-wide email obtained by Sahan Journal: "I am resigning from the Department of Justice," and "It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the United States and this office."
Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, praised Thompson but accused President Donald Trump of driving out career officials.
"Joe Thompson is a principled public servant who spent more than a decade achieving justice for Minnesotans. This is a huge loss for our state," Walz said, adding: "This is the latest sign that President Trump is pushing nonpartisan career professionals out of the Department of Justice and replacing them with his sycophants."
The resignations followed the Jan. 7 shooting of Good, 37, who was killed in her vehicle during an ICE operation in Minneapolis. Video shows an officer approaching the SUV and demanding the driver open the door before the vehicle lurches forward with tires spinning, striking an officer in front of the vehicle, then the second officer fires at close range.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended the officer, calling Good's actions "domestic terrorism," according to AP reporting.
Good's widow, Becca Good, issued a statement provided to Minnesota Public Radio that was quoted by the AP: "We had whistles. They had guns."
The statement also said Renee was a Christian who "knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole."
Reuters reported that four senior supervisors in the Civil Rights Division's criminal section resigned in recent days after being told they would not be involved in the federal probe, though sources told Reuters the Minnesota case was not the only factor and that early retirement offers also played a role.
The departing civil rights leaders include Jim Felte and Paige Fitzgerald, and Reuters quoted a Justice Department official saying the leaders sought early retirement before the Minnesota shooting.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said, "There is currently no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation" into the shooting.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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