Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded Sunday to a letter from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi that laid out a series of requests from the Trump administration, including access to voter registration data and an end to the state’s so-called sanctuary policies.
Bondi wrote that meeting those demands would help Minnesota “restore the rule of law.” Walz rejected that framing at a press conference, disputing the letter’s claims that state and local officials have “chosen to ignore federal immigration law” and are “putting federal agents in danger.”
“The attorney general of the United States put falsehoods into a letter she sends to me… but we’re not going to do your job for you. We have other things we need to do,” Walz said.
Why it matters
Bondi’s letter, sent Saturday evening, followed two fatal shootings in Minneapolis involving federal agents. One was the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse. The other occurred two weeks earlier, when 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
President Donald Trump has said he is directing additional resources toward Minneapolis on two fronts: allegations of fraud in Minnesota—highlighting an audit that found major oversight problems involving behavioral health grants administered by the state’s Department of Human Services—and a crackdown on what he described as “Illegal Criminals that were allowed to infiltrate the State through the Democrats’ Open Border Policy.”
What the letter asked for
In her letter, Bondi said Minnesota could “restore the rule of law” by complying with three main requests:
- Repeal the state’s “sanctuary policies”
- Provide the federal government access to voter registration records
- Provide access to records related to Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs
Bondi also blamed state and local officials for unrest in Minneapolis that she tied to the administration’s immigration enforcement operations.
Walz’s response
Walz’s Sunday briefing was intended to address developments following Pretti’s shooting, but he was asked directly about Bondi’s letter and whether the governor could meet the administration “part of the way” to help “turn this temperature down.”
Walz dismissed the letter as “not a serious attempt,” arguing that it mischaracterized Minnesota’s cooperation with federal authorities.
“In that letter, they talked about, you need to hand people over in your jails—they’re taking credit for people that we’ve had in jail for a long time. We always hand them over to the commissioner, very clearly, so they’re lying,” he said.
Walz also rejected Trump’s framing that the dispute centers on fraud investigations. “This has nothing to do with fraud,” he said, adding that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has argued the federal government is not sending the kinds of resources—such as forensic accountants—that would signal a serious effort to pursue those claims.
Walz said Minnesota has responded to federal requests so far, but called the newest demands unrelated to the issues at hand and “a red herring.” He then took a jab at Bondi over the Epstein files, saying she should focus on the “2 million Epstein files documents yet to be released in compliance with the law,” adding: “Go ahead and work on those.”
What they’re saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Sunday: “Minnesota is a Criminal COVER UP of the massive Financial Fraud that has gone on!”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in a post on X on January 24: “I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi in the letter: “You and your office must restore the rule of law, support ICE officers and bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota.”
