Joe Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota appointed by President Donald Trump, has resigned after overseeing a sweeping investigation into alleged large-scale fraud in the state, according to reports.
In an email obtained by the Minnesota Star-Tribune, Thompson wrote that it had “been an honor and a privilege to represent the United States and this office.” He did not provide a reason for his departure, the newspaper reported.
The New York Times reported that Thompson — along with two other federal prosecutors — resigned amid pressure from the Justice Department to investigate the widow of Renee Nicole Good, the Minneapolis woman who was killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7.
Jonathan Ross, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, shot Good, 37, at close range during an immigration operation in a residential area near downtown Minneapolis.
Since the shooting, the Trump administration and Minnesota officials have clashed over control of the investigation. Federal officials have refused to allow state investigators to review certain evidence, pointing instead to Minnesota’s recent welfare fraud scandal. Gov. Tim Walz and other local leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have called for an independent review of the shooting.
Thompson, who took the post last June, also led investigations into fraud allegations involving 14 state-run Medicaid programs. In December, he estimated that more than $9 billion in federal funds supporting those programs since 2018 may have been stolen, though he did not explain how that figure was calculated. The estimate is far larger than the total amount alleged in the charges filed so far.
Walz and officials at the Minnesota Department of Human Services have disputed the $9 billion estimate, arguing the total could be much lower — while still potentially exceeding $1 billion.
So far, the Justice Department has charged 98 defendants in Minnesota fraud-related cases, and 64 have been convicted.
Contributing: Phillip M. Bailey and N’dea Yancey-Bragg
