DOJ ramps up focus on violent agitators in Minnesota as resignations strain fraud cases
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.
The Justice Department under President Donald Trump promised to quell unrest led by anti-immigration enforcement agitators in Minnesota and prosecute massive fraud.
While the department has succeeded in charging a recent slate of protest-related arrests and obstruction charges related to violence against federal agents conducting immigration enforcement operations, the last federal action against fraud in the state was announced in mid-December, prior to a viral video that elevated national attention on alleged schemes linked to the Somali community. And as independent journalists uncover large networks of encrypted group chats fueling the agitators that harass federal agents on the ground, FBI leadership has made no show of force other than stated commitments to investigate those networks.
Some law enforcement operations have been more streamlined than others. Incidents such as protest-related prosecutions can be pinpointed and charged with more speed and efficiency, while large-scale financial prosecutions often depend on experienced trial teams that the Minnesota federal prosecutor’s office no longer has fully in place.
Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, Joe Thompson, speaks at a news conference on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Minneapolis about the grand jury indictment handed up against Vance Boelter, alleging that Boelter fatally shot former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and seriously wounded a state senator and his wife. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
Last month, six senior federal prosecutors departed from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota over what the New York Times reported were internal disputes tied to the Trump administration’s directives, though senior officials close to Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that the prosecutors had submitted early retirement paperwork months earlier.
Still, the threat of additional departures from career personnel looms large. During a recent meeting with U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, more prosecutors reportedly threatened to resign as he attempted to get his team aligned with the administration’s agenda in the state, according to CNN.
Former federal prosecutor and University of St. Thomas law professor Mark Osler said the recent departures have left fraud cases especially vulnerable.
“When you lose people that are experienced and talented, that’s going to be a problem,” Osler told the Washington Examiner. “And when you lose a lot of them at the same time, …
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.
The Justice Department under President Donald Trump promised to quell unrest led by anti-immigration enforcement agitators in Minnesota and prosecute massive fraud.
While the department has succeeded in charging a recent slate of protest-related arrests and obstruction charges related to violence against federal agents conducting immigration enforcement operations, the last federal action against fraud in the state was announced in mid-December, prior to a viral video that elevated national attention on alleged schemes linked to the Somali community. And as independent journalists uncover large networks of encrypted group chats fueling the agitators that harass federal agents on the ground, FBI leadership has made no show of force other than stated commitments to investigate those networks.
Some law enforcement operations have been more streamlined than others. Incidents such as protest-related prosecutions can be pinpointed and charged with more speed and efficiency, while large-scale financial prosecutions often depend on experienced trial teams that the Minnesota federal prosecutor’s office no longer has fully in place.
Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, Joe Thompson, speaks at a news conference on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Minneapolis about the grand jury indictment handed up against Vance Boelter, alleging that Boelter fatally shot former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and seriously wounded a state senator and his wife. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
Last month, six senior federal prosecutors departed from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota over what the New York Times reported were internal disputes tied to the Trump administration’s directives, though senior officials close to Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that the prosecutors had submitted early retirement paperwork months earlier.
Still, the threat of additional departures from career personnel looms large. During a recent meeting with U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, more prosecutors reportedly threatened to resign as he attempted to get his team aligned with the administration’s agenda in the state, according to CNN.
Former federal prosecutor and University of St. Thomas law professor Mark Osler said the recent departures have left fraud cases especially vulnerable.
“When you lose people that are experienced and talented, that’s going to be a problem,” Osler told the Washington Examiner. “And when you lose a lot of them at the same time, …
DOJ ramps up focus on violent agitators in Minnesota as resignations strain fraud cases
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.
The Justice Department under President Donald Trump promised to quell unrest led by anti-immigration enforcement agitators in Minnesota and prosecute massive fraud.
While the department has succeeded in charging a recent slate of protest-related arrests and obstruction charges related to violence against federal agents conducting immigration enforcement operations, the last federal action against fraud in the state was announced in mid-December, prior to a viral video that elevated national attention on alleged schemes linked to the Somali community. And as independent journalists uncover large networks of encrypted group chats fueling the agitators that harass federal agents on the ground, FBI leadership has made no show of force other than stated commitments to investigate those networks.
Some law enforcement operations have been more streamlined than others. Incidents such as protest-related prosecutions can be pinpointed and charged with more speed and efficiency, while large-scale financial prosecutions often depend on experienced trial teams that the Minnesota federal prosecutor’s office no longer has fully in place.
Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, Joe Thompson, speaks at a news conference on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Minneapolis about the grand jury indictment handed up against Vance Boelter, alleging that Boelter fatally shot former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and seriously wounded a state senator and his wife. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
Last month, six senior federal prosecutors departed from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota over what the New York Times reported were internal disputes tied to the Trump administration’s directives, though senior officials close to Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News that the prosecutors had submitted early retirement paperwork months earlier.
Still, the threat of additional departures from career personnel looms large. During a recent meeting with U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, more prosecutors reportedly threatened to resign as he attempted to get his team aligned with the administration’s agenda in the state, according to CNN.
Former federal prosecutor and University of St. Thomas law professor Mark Osler said the recent departures have left fraud cases especially vulnerable.
“When you lose people that are experienced and talented, that’s going to be a problem,” Osler told the Washington Examiner. “And when you lose a lot of them at the same time, …
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