In a stunning development that sent shockwaves through Minnesota’s legal and political establishment, Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired five federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota after they clashed with the Trump administration over support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The move follows the highly politicized shooting of anti-ICE activist Renee Good, who was killed after allegedly attempting to run over an ICE agent during a violent confrontation.
Among those shown the door was Joseph Thompson, a senior prosecutor who had been leading several high-profile welfare fraud investigations in the state. Thompson and others submitted resignations after internal disputes over how to characterize the incident involving Good. While Thompson reportedly agreed the shooting constituted obstruction of law enforcement and was justified, he opposed further investigation into Good’s widow or potential co-conspirators—an approach that reportedly alarmed DOJ leadership.
Rather than quietly allowing the prosecutors to linger on paid leave, Bondi took decisive action.
Speaking on Fox News, the attorney general laid out exactly what happened—and why she acted. “We had six prosecutors who suddenly decided they didn’t want to support the men and women of ICE,” Bondi explained. “One of them was busy doing a photo shoot with the *New York Times* while ICE agents were out there risking their lives.”
Bondi revealed that the prosecutors attempted to resign on their own terms, demanding to remain on the taxpayer payroll for months. “They came in and said, ‘We want to resign, but we want to use our annual leave up until April,’” she said. “Meaning they wanted the taxpayers to pay for them to go on vacation because they decided they didn’t want to support law enforcement.”
Bondi wasn’t having it.
“So the breaking news tonight,” she announced bluntly, “I fired them all. They’re fired from the office.”
She also praised the current U.S. Attorney in Minnesota, Rosen, calling him “great” and noting he had only recently been confirmed. The message from DOJ leadership was unmistakable: if you won’t stand with federal law enforcement, you won’t keep your job.
Conservatives quickly applauded the move. One viral post summed it up succinctly: “AG Pam Bondi reveals she FIRED six DOJ prosecutors in Minnesota because they no longer supported ICE and demanded taxpayers pay for a VACATION.”
Predictably, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz reacted with outrage. Lamenting Thompson’s departure, Walz claimed, “Joe is a principled public servant,” before accusing President Trump of purging “nonpartisan career professionals” and replacing them with “sycophants.” The accusation rang hollow to many, given Walz’s long history of siding with activists over law enforcement.
Meanwhile, the rhetoric from Renee Good’s widow, Becca Good, only underscored the emotional—and political—nature of the controversy. Speaking to local media, she described her late wife in glowing, almost mythic terms before launching into a sermon-like denunciation of law enforcement. “We had whistles. They had guns,” she said, ignoring the fact that an ICE agent reportedly suffered serious injuries during the incident.
Her closing remarks veered into overt activism, calling for “rejecting hate” and “turning away from fear,” language critics say has been repeatedly used to excuse or downplay violence against federal officers.
For the Trump administration, however, the line is clear. Federal prosecutors are expected to enforce the law—not undermine it. With Bondi’s decisive action, DOJ leadership made it known that loyalty to the Constitution and support for those enforcing it are not optional.
