Federal MN prosecutors terminated after dispute over ICE shooting probe

Several federal prosecutors in Minnesota were formally fired Wednesday after they announced they were resigning following internal disagreements over the Justice Department’s handling of a shooting investigation involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Justice Department, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, terminated five prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota; among them was Joseph Thompson, the No. 2 official there. According to two sources familiar with the matter.

It was during this period that internal discussions about their resignations and the shooting investigation first emerged. New York Times. Prosecutors had been positioned to take months of paid leave before being fired Wednesday. According to sources.

WHY MAY THE FBI EXCLUDE STATE OFFICIALS FROM MINNESOTA SHOOTING PROBLEMS?

Thompson was leading a major, high-profile investigation into welfare fraud in the state before submitting his resignation. His outburst came after he clashed with authorities in Washington, D.C., over the investigation into the ICE sting that resulted in the death of 37-year-old Renee Good. Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota to reach Thompson for comment.

During a meeting with DOJ and FBI officials last week, Thompson expressed readiness to investigate the ICE sting as assault or obstruction of a law enforcement officer; a source familiar with the call told Fox News Digital.

Melinda Williams, one of the fired prosecutors who was involved in fraud, was also on the call, the source said.

Thompson also believed the attack was justified, two sources said. He had already discussed the possibility of resigning before the shooting, sources said.

Footage of the shooting shows an ICE agent opening fire on Good at point-blank range after seeing him accelerating toward the agent in his vehicle, which was stopped in front of him. Critics argued that the agent improperly used deadly force against Good, turning the wheels of his vehicle away from the agent before accelerating.

A car crashed at the scene where an ICE agent shot Renee Good. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The FBI is investigating the incident and has excluded Minnesota prosecutors from the investigation; The Trump administration said this was justified because the incident involved a federal official. Minnesota leaders condemned the decision and launched its own parallel investigation.

While he supports conducting the investigation as an attack on law enforcement rather than a civil rights issue against the agent, Thompson said during last week’s meeting that he had reservations about the Justice Department’s plan to also investigate Good’s widow and other possible conspirators.

The FBI obtained evidence showing Good and his wife were following ICE officers at some point on the day of the shooting, the source said.

This statement echoes Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s claims at a recent press conference that Good was “stalking and obstructing” ICE throughout the day of the shooting. Noem said Good “weaponized” his vehicle and that the ICE agent who fired the shots feared for his life.

In a statement Minnesota Public RadioGood’s wife, Becca, said she and Renee “stood to offer support” on Jan. 7, the day of the shooting. [their] neighbors.”

“We had whistles. They had guns,” Becca Good said.

KNOWN PROTEST GROUPS TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY AFTER ICE IS THROWN AT A MINNESOTA PROTESTER

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks to the media at City Hall on January 9. Frey repeatedly called on federal immigration officials to leave his city. (Aaron Lavinsky/Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democrats praised the prosecutors who resigned and called their departures a bold boycott of the Justice Department.

“These prosecutors are heroes and the people pushing to prosecute Renee’s widow are monsters,” Frey wrote to X.

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At this stage, there is no indication that the Department of Justice plans to file charges against Becca Good, even though the DOJ and FBI are pursuing an investigation into her as part of a broader investigation into any conspiracy to obstruct federal law enforcement operations.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Justice for comment.

David Spunt contributed to this report.