The career prosecutor overseeing the sprawling federal investigation into social program fraud in Minnesota resigned abruptly this week.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson was one of at least six senior lawyers to leave the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota on Tuesday, according to the New York Times and other outlets.
Thompson was the top lieutenant of Daniel N. Rosen, an appointee of President Donald Trump. He served as the acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota last year before Rosen’s confirmation.
The exodus follows reports that the U.S. Department of Justice was scrutinizing the political activity of the woman killed last Wednesday by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The New York Times reported on Monday that federal investigators sought to uncover links between Renee Good, her wife Becca Good, and “activist groups” pushing back on perceived overreach by federal law enforcement agencies.
Trump on Sunday called the women “professional agitators,” according to the Times. Vice President JD Vance and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier referred to Renee Nicole Good as a “terrorist.”
Elsewhere, at least four senior leaders in the Washington office of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division have resigned. Those departures, which hollowed out the top ranks of the Civil Rights Division’s criminal section, represented “the most significant mass resignation” at DOJ since early last year, MS Now reported Monday.
For years, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, Thompson led the far-reaching federal investigation into widespread fraud that siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars out of multiple federal and state social programs. His investigation into what’s become broadly known as Feeding Our Future — intended to feed hungry children during the pandemic — brought its first charges in 2022 and eventually ensnared more than 70 defendants. State auditors say the scheme cost taxpayers around $250 million.
Thompson’s influence has grown in recent years after high-profile raids, indictments and convictions, including an attempt to bribe a juror during the first Feeding Our Future trial. He’s used his significant platform and reputation as a career prosecutor to call attention to the widespread fraud of Minnesota’s safety net.
Trump then amplified the steady drip of fraud-related news out of Minnesota. Last month, Trump called the state a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.” He has repeatedly singled out members of its Somali-American community, most of whom are U.S. citizens.
At a Dec. 18 press conference, Thompson said fraud in state-run Medicaid programs likely exceeds $9 billion. Thompson did not provide direct evidence for that claim, which Gov. Tim Walz called “sensationalized” at a news conference the following day.
At the news conference, Walz acknowledged that social program fraud was a problem in Minnesota but suggested Thompson was part of Trump’s campaign to punish a state that voted against him three times. Multiple federal agencies have since suspended billions in congressionally-mandated aid to Minnesota.
“They’re going to continue to come up with numbers that don’t have it there, and it’s sensationalized. I don’t expect anything different from this administration,” said Walz, who at the time was running for a third term as governor.
Walz dropped out of the race earlier this month, two days before Good’s killing.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor governor praised Thompson Tuesday on X: “Joe is a principled public servant who spent more than a decade achieving justice for Minnesotans. This is a huge loss for our state.”
On Tuesday, the turmoil in the Minnesota Office of U.S. Attorney appeared to have little effect on the 2,000-plus federal immigration agents on the ground in Minnesota. A video shared on social media by independent journalist Amanda Moore showed multiple agents arresting a woman after pulling her out of a vehicle and cutting her seatbelt.
The woman said she was driving to a doctor’s appointment, according to Moore.
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