33 ex-federal prosecutors ask Trump to reconsider excluding state from Renee Good investigation

A group of 33 former federal prosecutors in Minnesota are asking the Trump administration to reconsider its decision to exclude the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal agent last week, according to a Jan. 14 letter obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune.

The move comes one day after a group of six prosecutors, including former acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, resigned their jobs to protest the decision and other recent moves by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In interviews, former prosecutors said the scale of the departures is unprecedented in Minnesota and will hamper the government’s ability to prosecute fraudsters, which Trump officials have cited as a reason for bringing 3,000 ICE agents to the state.

“Yesterday was the darkest day for federal law enforcement in my 51 years of practicing law,” former Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Kelley said in an interview. “When dedicated public servants who have spent their lives prosecuting cases find it necessary to resign because they are confronted with orders that offend their sense of morality, that is a very sad day for justice in Minnesota.”

Thompson and other federal prosecutors who resigned this week have not yet made any public statements. Daniel Rosen, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the office, also has not responded to requests for comment.

Federal officials claim Minnesota has no jurisdiction in the Good case, which is being handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Local prosecutors dispute that assertion, saying they have the power to investigate and bring criminal charges if warranted.

Good was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross during an operation on Jan. 7 after she disregarded commands to get out of her car and tried to drive away from the scene. On Jan. 13, Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a statement saying there is “no basis” for a criminal civil rights investigation.

“This is a tragedy,” said former U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones who served two terms as U.S. Attorney and was President Barack Obama’s pick to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “There has never been this level of vindictiveness exercised through the Department of Justice. You can’t conduct public safety without the public having confidence that it is being done right.”

Former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger, who was appointed by two Republican presidents, said there is a clear need for a joint criminal investigation by state and federal officials. He said such cooperation has been standard in Minnesota for decades.

“If this is not a civil rights case, I don’t know what is,” Heffelfinger said. “He walked up to her when she wasn’t a threat to him. He stood there with his gun out and shot through the windshield, right into her face.”

Anders Folk, who served as the acting U.S. Attorney in 2021, said he also sees grounds for a joint criminal investigation into Good’s death.

“Something is deeply wrong,” Folk said.

In the letter, which was signed by Folk and Kelley, former prosecutors noted that cooperation between state and federal investigators has been the norm, citing the 2021 shooting of Winston Smith by federal task force agents. It took four years for local prosecutors to make a final determination that no criminal charges would be filed in that case.

In an interview with the Star Tribune, Kelley said the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office was historically apolitical, noting that career prosecutors typically stayed when presidential administrations changed, unlike many other jurisdictions where resignations were common.

“In Minnesota, we were independent and nonpolitical,” Kelley said. “Things were well coordinated and people worked together.”

At least 10 of the signatories to the Jan. 14 letter were hired by Republican appointees, according to two former prosecutors involved in the effort.

“The thoroughness and credibility of an investigation is as important to achieving justice as the ultimate outcome,” the letter says.

Folk said the resignations could bring challenges down the road in prosecuting fraud in public programs, which has generated nearly 100 indictments and dozens of convictions in recent years.

“That should be concerning everybody in Minnesota,” Folk said.

Heffelfinger agreed, saying it can take years for new prosecutors to gain the kind of experience needed to tackle complicated fraud cases such as those involving overbilling for social services.

“Dan [Rosen] is going to have a hard time finding people,” Heffelfinger said. “The problem is the people who are left in the office — even those who aren’t going to quit — they aren’t happy.”