Patriot Brief
- What Happened: The Department of Justice issued subpoenas to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Minnesota AG Keith Ellison as part of an investigation into possible obstruction of federal law enforcement.
- Why It Matters: The probe centers on whether state and city officials conspired to impede federal investigations and ICE operations during unrest in Minnesota.
- Bottom Line: The Trump administration is signaling that elected officials are not above the law when federal enforcement is obstructed.
The pressure just got real in Minnesota.
The Department of Justice has issued subpoenas to Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey - accusing them of standing in the way of federal law enforcement as ICE officers carried out operations in the state. According to reporting, the subpoenas are part of an investigation into possible conspiracy to impede a federal investigation.
Walz wasted no time playing the victim.
In a statement, he accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the justice system and claimed political opponents are being targeted. He argued that the only person not being investigated is the ICE agent who shot Renee Good, a claim federal officials have disputed while maintaining the shooting was self defense.
Frey followed the same script, calling the subpoenas an attempt to intimidate him for standing up to what he described as chaos brought by the administration. He insisted he would not be intimidated and framed the investigation as an attack on Minneapolis rather than scrutiny of his actions.
But the facts tell a different story.
The subpoenas come after weeks of escalating rhetoric and actions from Minnesota leaders that critics say encouraged obstruction of federal law enforcement. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller previously described the situation in Minnesota as an insurgency against the federal government, pointing to officials who he said abetted and encouraged protests that interfered with ICE operations.
The Trump administration has focused heavily on Minnesota amid a growing welfare fraud scandal involving some members of the state’s Somali community and after ending temporary protected status for Somalis. Tensions exploded after ICE officer Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good during an operation, an incident that sparked nationwide protests and sharp attacks on federal agents.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Good attempted to run over Ross with her vehicle and called the act domestic terrorism. Frey responded by telling ICE to leave Minneapolis, while Attorney General Keith Ellison sued the administration to block a surge of federal agents.
Walz later urged President Trump to turn the temperature down after the president threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a threat he later walked back.
Now the DOJ is stepping in.