By Trendsetter Tribune 
Minnesota’s leading federal prosecutor Joseph H. Thompson resigned along with several colleagues after disagreements with the DOJ’s handling of the Renee Good shooting investigation, prompting sharp criticism from Gov. Tim Walz.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz blasted news Tuesday that Joseph H. Thompson, the state’s top federal prosecutor overseeing major fraud cases, has resigned — a development tied directly to tensions within the U.S. Department of Justice over recent high-profile investigations.
Thompson’s departure comes as part of a broader wave of resignations by senior prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, raising serious questions about the direction of federal justice priorities in the state.
Who Is Joe Thompson?
Joseph “Joe” H. Thompson served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney in Minnesota and was one of the most experienced prosecutors in the office, leading long-running efforts targeting fraud against federal and state programs.
Thompson gained national attention for his role in the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation — a sprawling case involving accusations of massive fraudulent claims against federally funded social services programs.
He also previously acted as U.S. Attorney for the district and had been involved in high-profile prosecutions in recent years, including major fraud schemes tied to Medicaid and other federal benefits.
What Prompted His Resignation?
According to multiple reports, Thompson and at least five other federal prosecutors resigned amid conflict with the Department of Justice over the handling of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good — a Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent on January 7.
The New York Times and local reporting indicate the departures were triggered after DOJ officials pushed to investigate the victim’s widow and were reluctant to prioritize a civil rights or use-of-force inquiry into the shooting itself. Thompson was reportedly uncomfortable with that direction.
Other senior prosecutors stepping down include Harry Jacobs, Melinda Williams and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez, indicating the disagreement was shared across leadership in the office.
Walz Calls the Resignation a “Huge Loss”
In a statement on social media platform X, Gov. Tim Walz called Thompson “a principled public servant” and lamented his exit from the Justice Department.
“This is a huge loss for our state,” Walz said, asserting that the resignation reflects a broader trend of nonpartisan career professionals being pushed out of the DOJ under the Trump administration and replaced with “sycophants.”
Walz’s comments tie the resignation to political tensions over federal responses to crises in Minnesota, including immigration enforcement, use of force investigations, and prosecutions related to fraud.
Wider DOJ Resignations Signal Deeper Discord
Thompson’s departure is part of a wider pattern of resignations within federal justice ranks tied to the Minnesota shooting and related policy disputes.
In addition to the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office departures, senior prosecutors from the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division have also quit in recent days — reportedly in protest over decisions not to investigate the Minneapolis shooting as a potential civil rights violation.
The Civil Rights Division’s criminal section chief, principal deputy chief, deputy chief and acting deputy chief have stepped down, significantly reducing experienced litigation capacity within the unit that commonly handles police-involved death probes.
Why It Matters
The resignations complicate federal-state relations in Minnesota at a time when local officials are already at odds with the DOJ over access to evidence and investigative roles in the Good shooting probe. State leaders have repeatedly criticized federal authorities for excluding them from parts of the investigation.
Thompson’s exit also comes against the backdrop of intense scrutiny over Minnesota’s social services fraud scandal — a case the U.S. Attorney’s Office had been charging aggressively before the resignations.
Conclusion: A Justice Department in Turmoil
Joseph H. Thompson’s resignation marks a rare and dramatic rupture in Minnesota’s federal prosecutorial leadership, driven by deep disagreements over the direction of investigations into both fraud and a high-profile fatal shooting by a federal immigration officer.
The fallout has sparked sharp criticism from Governor Walz and others who see the change as part of a broader politicization of the Justice Department — raising pressing questions about how federal law enforcement priorities are set and who gets to decide them.