US Justice Department subpoenas Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over alleged obstruction – JURIST

Multiple US media outlets reported Tuesday that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, along with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and three others, received subpoenas from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over alleged interference with the Trump administration’s controversial immigration enforcement actions in that state. Others subpoenaed include St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. The documents did not mention a criminal statute, according to The New York Times.

The subpoenas come after Walz put Minnesota’s National Guard on alert following demonstrations over a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent’s shooting of US citizen Renee Good. Both Walz and Frey have been critical of the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE in Minnesota, with Frey publicly telling ICE to “get the fuck out of Minneapolis.” Critics of the administration’s actions allege that the immigration crackdown is racially and politically motivated and subverts due process. Both Minnesota and Illinois have sued Trump over alleged violations of states’ rights as a result.

Walz addressed Trump and the investigation directly on X, saying in part:

The State of Minnesota will not be drawn into political theatre. This Justice Department investigation, sparked by calls for accountability in the face of violence, chaos, and the killing of Renee Good, does not seek justice. It is a partisan distraction. Minnesotans are more concerned with safety and peace rather than with baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants standing shoulder to shoulder with their community.

This latest DOJ move comes just over a week after the Federal Reserve received grand jury subpoenas from the DOJ over Chair Jerome Powell’s June statements about renovations to the central bank’s buildings. Trump has previously been critical of Powell and has engaged in a campaign of trying to lower interest rates.

Two of the president’s other political opponents, former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Leticia James, beat DOJ prosecution efforts after a judge dismissed charges against them after finding that the prosecutor in the case was unlawfully appointed. A grand jury also refused to indict James on an additional false statements charge.