Justice Department investigating Minnesota Gov. Walz and others

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation against Minnesota officials, including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, for an alleged plot to obstruct immigration agents, a source familiar with the investigation said Friday.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said subpoenas had been prepared for Walz and Frey as part of the investigation, but it was not immediately clear whether they had been served.

The investigation, first reported by CBS News, stems from statements made by Walz and Frey about the thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents deployed to the Minneapolis area in recent weeks under orders from President Donald Trump, the source said.

Reacting on social media to news of the investigation, Walz, who unsuccessfully ran for vice president in the 2024 election won by Trump, said the federal justice system was being used to intimidate Trump’s perceived political enemies.

“Two days ago, it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week, it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your adversaries is an authoritarian tactic,” Walz said.

The governor was referring to U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly, Democrats from Michigan and Arizona, who made a video statement calling on members of the military to resist illegal orders, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, whom Trump criticized as being too hesitant to raise interest rates.

Reacting to a CNN report on the investigation, Frey said separately: “This is a clear attempt to intimidate me for defending Minneapolis, local law enforcement and residents from the chaos and danger this administration has brought to our city.”

The Justice Department declined to comment. But U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a message Friday evening on the social media platform »

It would be highly unusual for federal prosecutors to bring a criminal conspiracy case based on statements by public officials regarding government policies.

The Trump administration has sent nearly 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota since early last week, sparking angry protests in Minneapolis over the influx of immigration agents onto the streets of the state’s most populous city.

Clashes between residents and federal agents became increasingly tense after an ICE agent fatally shot a U.S. citizen, Renee Good, 37, while driving in her car in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, sparking daily protests that spread to other cities.

Although he urged protesters to remain peaceful, Walz also encouraged citizens to record videos of any arrests or other encounters between ICE agents and members of the public to create a database for possible “future prosecutions” of wrongdoing by law enforcement.

Walz and Frey have repeatedly demanded that Trump end the ICE deployment, saying the militarized deportation campaign was a reckless operation aimed at sowing chaos, fear and grabbing headlines, and that it put civilians at risk.

Assistant U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche earlier this week blamed Walz and Frey for the clashes and said he was working to stop them by “any means necessary.”