Subpoenas served at offices of Minnesota governor, mayor, DOJ official says

Jan 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice served grand jury subpoenas on Tuesday to Minnesota government offices, including those of Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a department official said, amid protests and an immigration enforcement crackdown in the state. 

A source familiar with the investigation had said last week that the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation of Walz, Frey and others over an alleged conspiracy to impede immigration agents. Democratic politicians in Minnesota have called for calm, but have also been sharply critical of what they see as a politically motivated crackdown by Republican President Donald Trump’s administration.

Walz said on X earlier on Tuesday: “This Justice Department investigation, sparked by calls for accountability in the face of violence, chaos, and the killing of Renee Good, does not seek justice. It is a partisan distraction. Minnesotans are more concerned with safety and peace rather than with baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants standing shoulder to shoulder with their community.”

Frey said on January 16 he would “not be intimidated” by reports the DOJ planned to subpoena him. “This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, local law enforcement, and residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our city,” Frey wrote on X.

(Reporting by Jana Winter and Costas Pitas, Editing by Franklin Paul, Rod Nickel)