The U.S. Justice Department has initiated a criminal investigation into Minnesota officials, including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, for an alleged conspiracy to obstruct immigration agents.
Justice Department Opens Investigation
Reuters, citing a source, reported that subpoenas have been prepared for Walz and Frey as part of the investigation, though it’s not yet clear if they have been served.
The investigation is based on statements made by Walz and Frey about the deployment of thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and Border Patrol agents to the Minneapolis region, under President Donald Trump‘s orders.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
Walz and Frey Push Back Against Probe
Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president in the 2024 U.S. election, said the federal justice system is being used to intimidate President Trump’s political opponents.
He wrote on X, “Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.”
The governor referred to Senators Elissa Slotkin, Mark Kelly and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, who all have largely adversarial relationships with Trump.
Frey, in response to a CNN report on the investigation, said it was “an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, local law enforcement and residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our city.”
Trump, in his Truth Social post, claimed that the unrest in Minnesota is being driven by what he described as “troublemakers, agitators, and insurrectionists,” and criticized state and local leaders for losing control.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi also posted a message on X on Friday, saying, “A reminder to all those in Minnesota, no one is above the law.”
Political Context and Local Unrest
This investigation comes at a time when Minneapolis is experiencing unrest, after nearly 3,000 federal agents were deployed in the Midwestern U.S. state since early last week.
Governor Walz has also been under intense scrutiny lately. He recently announced that he would not seek a third term in the upcoming election amid a welfare-fraud scandal, stating that he cannot give a political campaign his all.
Photo: Image via Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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