Resignation of Minnesota’s Lead Federal Prosecutor
The chief federal prosecutor involved in a significant fraud case in Minnesota has stepped down from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as reported by various media outlets.
Joe Thompson, who was appointed the acting attorney for Minnesota by President Donald Trump in May 2025, led the office until Daniel Rosen took over that role in October.
“It has truly been an honor to represent the United States and this office,” Thompson, age 47, expressed in an email obtained by a local newspaper.
The reason behind his resignation remains undisclosed, and his future plans were not mentioned. Attempts to reach the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice by Fox News Digital have been made.
The New York Times indicated that Thompson and other prosecutors resigned due to the Justice Department’s approach regarding the probe into a recent shooting incident involving federal immigration agents in Minnesota.
Thompson reportedly declined to investigate the widow of the victim, Renee Good, while the Justice Department opted to exclude state officials from its inquiry.
He was notably the lead prosecutor in a $250 million food fraud investigation tied to the state’s Somali community, which led to numerous indictments and brought attention to Minnesota’s challenges with fraud. Interestingly, Governor Tim Walz has decided against running for a third term amidst a growing scandal.
Thompson previously remarked, “Our state is now by far the leader in fraud, and everyone knows it,” during a discussion with the Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board last year.
In addition to Thompson’s exit, reports indicate that at least four other senior lawyers from the Justice Department’s civil rights division have also resigned in recent days. This wave of resignations may be linked to the decision concerning the investigation into the shooting of Good.
It’s been mentioned that Harmeet Dhillon, recently appointed under the Trump administration, informed the department that he would not participate in the investigation, as revealed by sources familiar with internal discussions.
Critics of the Trump administration’s narrative regarding Good’s actions claim she was attempting to evade authorities rather than assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
