DOJ: No Basis for MN Civil Rights Probe01/14 06:05

   The Justice Department does not believe there is currently any basis to open 
a criminal civil rights investigation into the killing of a woman by a U.S. 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis, a top department 
official said Tuesday.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department does not believe there is 
currently any basis to open a criminal civil rights investigation into the 
killing of a woman by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in 
Minneapolis, a top department official said Tuesday.

   The decision to keep the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division out of 
the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good marks a sharp departure 
from past administrations, which have moved quickly to probe shootings of 
civilians by law enforcement officials for potential civil rights offenses.

   While an FBI probe is ongoing, lawyers in the Civil Rights Division were 
informed last week that they would not play a role in the investigation at this 
time, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the 
condition of anonymity to discuss internal department deliberations.

   And on Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement 
that "there is currently no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation." 
The statement, first reported by CNN, did not elaborate on how the department 
had reached a conclusion that no investigation was warranted.

   Federal officials have said that the officer acted in self-defense and that 
the driver of the Honda was engaging in "an act of domestic terrorism" when she 
pulled forward toward him.

   The quick pronouncement by administration officials before any meaningful 
investigation could be completed has raised concerns about the federal 
government's determination to conduct a thorough review of the chain of events 
precipitating the shooting. Minnesota officials have also raised alarm after 
federal officials blocked state investigators from accessing evidence and 
declared that Minnesota has no jurisdiction to investigate the killing.

   Also this week, roughly half a dozen federal prosecutors in Minnesota 
resigned and several supervisors in the criminal section of the Civil Rights 
Division in Washington gave notice of their departures amid turmoil over the 
federal probe, according to people familiar with the matter.

   Among the departures in Minnesota is First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph 
Thompson, who had been leading the sprawling investigation and prosecution of 
fraud schemes in the state, two other people said. At least four other 
prosecutors in the Minnesota U.S. attorney's office joined Thompson in 
resigning amid a period of tension in the office, the people said. The people 
spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

   They are the latest in an exodus of career Justice Department attorneys who 
have resigned or been forced out over concerns over political pressure or 
shifting priorities under the Trump administration. Hundreds of Justice 
Department lawyers have been fired or have left voluntarily over the last year.

   Minnesota Democratic lawmakers criticized the departures, with Sen. Amy 
Klobuchar, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, calling the resignations 
"a loss for our state and for public safety" and warning that prosecutions 
should not be driven by politics. Gov. Tim Walz said the departures raised 
concerns about political pressure on career Justice Department officials.

   The resignations of the lawyers in the Civil Rights Division's criminal 
section, including its chief, were announced to staff on Monday, days after 
lawyers were told the section would not be involved in the probe. The Justice 
Department on Tuesday said those prosecutors had requested to participate in an 
early retirement program "well before the events in Minnesota," and added that 
"any suggestion to the contrary is false."

   Founded nearly 70 years ago, the Civil Rights Division has a long history of 
investigating shootings by law enforcement even though prosecutors typically 
need to clear a high bar to mount a criminal prosecution.

   In prior administrations, the division has moved quickly to open and 
publicly announce such investigations, not only to reflect federal jurisdiction 
over potential civil rights violations but also in hopes of soothing community 
angst that sometimes accompanies shootings involving law enforcement.

   "The level of grief, tension and anxiety on the ground in Minnesota is not 
surprising," said Kristen Clarke, who led the Civil Rights Division under the 
Biden administration. "And historically the federal government has played an 
important role by being a neutral and impartial agency committing its resources 
to conducting a full and fair investigation, and the public loses out when that 
doesn't happen," she said.

   In Minneapolis, for instance, the Justice Department during the first Trump 
administration opened a civil rights investigation into the 2020 death of 
George Floyd at the hands of city police officers that resulted in criminal 
charges. The Minneapolis Police Department was separately scrutinized by the 
Biden administration for potential systemic civil rights violations through 
what's known as a "pattern or practice" investigation, a type of police reform 
inquiry that is out of favor in the current Trump administration Justice 
Department.