01/13/2026
Governor Walz Statement on Six Prosecutors, Including Joe Thompson, Resigning from U.S. Attorney’s Office
[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today released the following statement following the resignation of at least six prosecutors, including former acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.
“Joe Thompson is a principled public servant who spent more than a decade achieving justice for Minnesotans. This is a huge loss for our state,” said Governor Walz. “This is the latest sign that President Trump is pushing nonpartisan career professionals out of the Department of Justice and replacing them with his sycophants.”
Thompson has worked extensively with state regulators and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to bring federal prosecutions against fraud involving public programs. His work supported oversight, enforcement, and program integrity.
Thompson also oversaw and advanced prosecutions in several high-profile violent crime cases, including federal charges connected to the murders of Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and the attempted murders of Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman.
Thompson’s resignation is the latest example of the Trump Administration overtaking traditionally nonpartisan positions within the Department of Justice and replacing experienced career professionals with political loyalists. It comes two days after news that the Trump Administration has launched a criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and on the same day, he threatened retribution for Minnesota.
Minnesota has taken sustained action through executive orders, enhanced enforcement tools, audits, and partnerships with state and federal law enforcement experts to detect fraud and ensure accountability. Governor Walz reaffirmed that these efforts will continue, regardless of who the U.S. Attorney is.
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