6 federal prosecutors in Minn. quit over push to investigate ICE shooting victim's widow

"Thompson's resignation came after senior Justice Department officials pressed for a criminal investigation into the actions of the widow of Renee Nicole Good, the Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent last Wednesday. Thompson, 47, a career prosecutor, objected to that approach, as well as to the Justice Department's refusal to include state officials in investigating whether the shooting itself was lawful, the people familiar with his decision said."

"Minneapolis police Chief Brian O'Hara said in an interview that Thompson's resignation dealt a major blow to efforts to root out rampant theft from state agencies. The fraud cases, which involve schemes to cheat safety net programs, were the chief reason the Trump administration cited for its immigration crackdown in the state. The vast majority of defendants charged in the cases are U.S. citizens of Somali origin. "When you lose the leader responsible for making the fraud cases, it tells you this isn't really about prosecuting fraud," O'Hara said."

"Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned Tuesday over the Justice Department's push to investigate the widow of a woman killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and the department's reluctance to investigate the shooter, according to people with knowledge of their decision. Joseph H. Thompson, who was second-in-command at the U.S. attorney's office and oversaw a sprawling fraud investigation that has roiled Minnesota's political landscape, was among those who quit Tuesday, according to three people with knowledge of the decision."

Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned after the Justice Department pushed for a criminal inquiry into the widow of Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent, while showing reluctance to investigate the shooting itself. Joseph H. Thompson, 47, a career prosecutor and former acting U.S. attorney who oversaw a major fraud investigation, resigned in protest of that approach and the refusal to involve state officials. Thompson's departure, along with other senior career prosecutors including Harry Jacobs, Melinda Williams and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez, raised concerns that staffing changes will undermine fraud prosecutions targeting schemes that cheated safety-net programs, many defendants being U.S. citizens of Somali origin.

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