Attorney General Pam Bondi just delivered a reality check to five Minnesota federal prosecutors who thought they could demand taxpayer-funded vacation time while refusing to cooperate with immigration enforcement.
Story Highlights
- Bondi fired five Minnesota prosecutors after they demanded paid leave until April and refused ICE cooperation
- Prosecutors had investigated the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scandal before clashing with DOJ over ICE shooting probe
- Initial media reports falsely claimed prosecutors resigned in protest; DOJ clarified they were terminated for insubordination
- The firings stem from disagreements over investigating an ICE agent’s fatal shooting of protester Renee Good
From Hero to Zero: The Fall of Minnesota’s Star Prosecutors
Joe Thompson built his reputation exposing Minnesota’s massive $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scandal, a web of corruption that helped sink Governor Tim Walz’s re-election hopes. Thompson and his team secured dozens of indictments in what became the largest pandemic fraud case in the nation. Their work revealed how Minnesota had become ground zero for welfare fraud, particularly within Somali communities exploiting childcare programs.
But Thompson’s stellar fraud-fighting record couldn’t save him when he chose political resistance over professional duty. When the Trump administration needed cooperation on an ICE shooting investigation, Thompson and four colleagues decided they knew better than their bosses in Washington.
The ICE Shooting That Changed Everything
The crisis began January 7th when ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good during an immigration enforcement operation. According to DHS officials, Good accelerated her vehicle toward the ICE agent after she and her spouse had been following ICE officers earlier. The incident occurred in Minneapolis, a sanctuary city where immigration enforcement faces constant local government hostility.
Thompson and his prosecutors wanted to investigate the shooting as a potential civil rights violation, focusing on Good’s widow Becca. However, DOJ and FBI officials determined the case should be treated as an assault on a federal law enforcement officer. Thompson agreed the shooting was justified but objected to any investigation of Good’s widow, creating an internal standoff that would prove costly.
The Demand That Broke the Camel’s Back
Rather than accept DOJ’s authority over the investigation, the five prosecutors submitted early retirement paperwork and made an audacious demand: they wanted to be paid through April while refusing to cooperate with ICE officials. This wasn’t principled resignation over policy differences, it was an attempt to collect taxpayer paychecks while actively obstructing federal law enforcement.
Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had seen enough. When prosecutors demand paid vacation time while undermining immigration enforcement, swift action becomes necessary. The terminations sent a clear message that the Trump administration won’t tolerate federal employees who think they can pick and choose which policies to support while collecting government paychecks.
Liberal Media Spins Fiction Into Fact
Predictably, mainstream media outlets initially portrayed the departures as noble resignations by prosecutors courageously standing up for civil rights. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the fired prosecutors “heroes” while branding DOJ officials “monsters.” This narrative conveniently ignored that these same prosecutors agreed the ICE shooting was justified and had submitted retirement papers before the incident.
The reality proves far less heroic. These weren’t whistleblowers exposing government wrongdoing, they were federal employees who refused direct orders from their superiors and demanded extended paid leave as compensation for their insubordination. Bondi’s decisive action restored proper chain of command and eliminated prosecutors who had become more interested in political theater than law enforcement.
Sources:
Top federal prosecutor who exposed massive $250M Minnesota fraud case steps down from position
Top federal Minnesota prosecutors officially terminated after dispute over ICE shooting probe
