Joseph Thompson and two other top prosecutors in the office resigned after pressure from the Trump administration to focus the probe of the ICE officer shooting of Renee Good on the actions of Good and others around her, according to a person briefed on the matter.
Thompson was previously the acting US attorney for Minnesota and then served as the first assistant US attorney for Minnesota.
Other resignations are also possible as prosecutors weigh how to respond to pressure from their superiors in Washington.
Thompson is a career prosecutor who, with Harry Jacobs, led the Justice Department’s yearslong effort to tackle rampant social services fraud in Minnesota.
Melinda Williams, another senior prosecutor, resigned along with Jacobs, the source said. Others are weighing whether to resign instead of following unusual demands on how to handle the shooting probe, the source said.
Meanwhile, an aggressive crowd of people followed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents gathered in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis this morning as they tried to leave the area after clashes with protestors.
Some of the people could be seen standing in the way as ICE agents tried to move their cars through the crowds, according to a CNN crew on the scene.
The protestors could also be seen attacking the side of a least one car, throwing snowballs at agents and furiously blowing whistles.
Pepper balls were dispersed as federal agents and protestors clashed Tuesday morning in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis. Many residents blew whistles and shouted “ICE out now,” telling agents to get out of their neighborhood.
Agents had surged into the area with at least 15 different large SUVs, according to a CNN crew on the scene.
As agents returned to their vehicles, flash bangs were also fired at the crowd. Some protesters were then seen throwing snowballs at the agents.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan defended the immigration operation in Minnesota and pushed back against claims from local officials stating it was a “federal invasion” on Fox News this morning.
“We’ll win the lawsuits ‘cause we’re simply enforcing laws that were enacted by Congress. We’re not making this up,” he said, responding to the lawsuit filedyesterday by the state against the Trump administration, stating the constitutional rights of their residents are being violated.
By CNN
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