ICE agent representation leads Hennepin County Attorney candidate to resign from Chris Madel’s law firm

Hennepin County Attorney candidate Matt Pelikan has resigned from Madel PA over political differences with his boss Chris Madel, a Republican candidate for governor of Minnesota.

Pelikan, who has worked at the firm for nearly nine years, praised Madel as a boss and friend. He said Madel’s decision to provide legal counsel to ICE agent Jonathan Ross after Ross shot and killed Renee Good on Jan. 7 led to his decision to resign on Jan. 15.

“On Wednesday, I read the news about the firm and Mr. Ross,” Pelikan said. “On Thursday I resigned. That’s what lawyers call a clue.”

Pelikan, a former DFL candidate for Minnesota attorney general, entered the race to replace Mary Moriarty as Hennepin County Attorney last year after Moriarty announced she would not seek a second term.

When Madel was reached for comment on Thursday night, he was preparing for a gubernatorial debate in Scott County and directed comment to Madel PA managing partner Jenny Robbins.

“Matt is a great lawyer and we wish him well,” Robbins said. “The firm will continue to zealously represent its clients and we expect that agent Ross will be represented by Department of Justice attorneys.”

Madel said this week that he was providing legal counsel to Ross and had submitted legal paperwork to the Justice Department on his behalf, but that he is hoping Ross is represented by the federal government if he faces any criminal or civil litigation over his use of deadly force.

“We all have to choose how we spend our time,” Pelikan said. “I’m on the side of Minnesota and Minneapolis residents who are being left terrified and that’s where I want to spend my time.”

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced on Jan. 9 that they are starting an independent investigation to gather evidence from citizens into the killing of Good after federal officials essentially removed the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from having access to investigative materials.

Pelikan said while his campaign for county attorney is focused on having a better relationship with law enforcement, that does not extend to the current immigration enforcement surge being carried out in Minnesota at the behest of the Trump administration.

“I think what ICE is doing is reprehensible. It’s put our public safety at risk and our public safety officers at risk,” Pelikan said. “I personally don’t want to be associated with it.”