Six Minnesota federal prosecutors resign over DOJ pressure to investigate protesters instead of ICE shooting

At least six federal prosecutors at 🦆Minnesota's U.S. Attorney office resigned on Jan. 13, 2026, including JTJoe Thompson (who led the Feeding Our Future fraud case), MWMelinda Williams (criminal division head), Harry Jacobs, Tom Calhoun-Lopez, Ruth Schneider, and Tom Hollenhurst. The resignations came after DOJ leadership pressured them to investigate Renee Good's widow and her connections to activist groups rather than pursue civil rights charges against ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who shot and killed Good on Jan. 9 during Minneapolis ICE operations. Sources said the prosecutors faced a choice: compromise prosecutorial independence by investigating constitutionally protected activity, or resign.

Trump posted 'HELP IS ON ITS WAY' on Jan. 13, urging Iranian protesters to continue demonstrations and threatening Iran with 'very strong action' if protesters are executed. That same day, his Justice Department pressured 🦆Minnesota prosecutors to investigate Renee Good's widow for monitoring ICE operations—a protected First Amendment activity—rather than investigate whether the agent who shot Good violated her civil rights. Trump champions foreign dissent against regimes he opposes while treating domestic dissent as potential criminal activity.

JTJoe Thompson objected to DOJ's framing of Good's killing as an 'assault on federal officers' rather than a potential civil rights violation. Thompson had led the Feeding Our Future fraud prosecution, securing 58 convictions in one of 🦆Minnesota's largest fraud cases. His resignation undermines actual criminal prosecutions Trump claims to prioritize. The DOJ's criminal section of the Civil Rights Division—founded 70 years ago specifically to investigate police shootings—was told it wouldn't be involved in the Good shooting probe despite protocol requiring their involvement in all fatal law enforcement shootings.

Sources told CBS News that DOJ leadership wanted prosecutors to focus on whether Good and her widow had connections to anti-ICE activist groups rather than investigate whether the shooting violated Good's civil rights. Good had no criminal record and wasn't an ICE operation target—she was monitoring federal operations, a constitutionally protected activity. Video footage shows Good's car moving toward agents, but it's inconclusive whether she deliberately drove at them or was attempting to leave. Trump posted on Truth Social that Good 'weaponized her vehicle,' while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Good a 'domestic terrorist' for monitoring ICE operations.

At least four leaders of DOJ's Civil Rights Division criminal section resigned on Jan. 13, including the section chief, after Assistant Attorney General HDHarmeet Dhillon decided not to open a civil rights investigation into the Good shooting. The resignations represent a separate exodus from the DOJ Civil Rights Division in 🏛️Washington, D.C., beyond the 🦆Minnesota resignations. Sources said career prosecutors objected to blocking an investigation that falls squarely within the division's mandate. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed there was 'currently no basis for criminal civil rights investigation' despite FBI opening a parallel probe into the shooting.

DOJ claimed the 🦆Minnesota prosecutors had requested early retirement 'well before Minnesota events,' but sources called this false. Multiple sources confirmed the resignations were directly tied to pressure over the Good investigation. The Civil Rights Division has already lost hundreds of career attorneys under Trump's second administration. The mass exodus represents institutional collapse of civil rights enforcement infrastructure, with career prosecutors choosing resignation over investigating protected First Amendment activity rather than potential civil rights violations by federal agents.

Trump defended ICE agents as 'patriots' and claimed 🦆Minnesota ICE operations targeted 'convicted criminals, murderers, drug dealers, and people released from mental institutions.' However, Good had no criminal record, wasn't an operation target, and was engaged in protected monitoring of government operations. The administration refused to release arrest data showing how many detainees had violent criminal records. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said federal operations didn't target public safety threats. Minneapolis taxpayers paid $2 million in overtime costs in four days supporting federal operations while Trump simultaneously announced cuts to all federal funding for sanctuary cities starting Feb. 1.

The 🦆Minnesota Attorney General's office wanted to participate in the investigation but was excluded by federal authorities. State investigators typically collaborate with federal prosecutors on high-profile cases involving federal agents. The exclusion prevented state-level civil rights charges if federal prosecutors declined to pursue them. Minnesota AG KEKeith Ellison called the ICE operations a 'federal invasion' and said the state would pursue its own investigation. The conflict reveals tensions between federal and state law enforcement when federal agents operate against state wishes in Democratic jurisdictions.