DOJ in Crisis as Prosecutors Resign Over Blocked Probes Into Federal Agent Killings
What happens when career prosecutors refuse to look away from state-sanctioned killings? They walk out. And now, the whole system is about to crack.
This article was originally created by Jonathan Samuel over at CoarsemanNews.substack.com and is shared here with their permission. We wanted to highlight their work for our readers because we value their clear, straightforward perspective. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
The Confrontation Nobody Was Supposed to Hear About
On January 29, 2026, something extraordinary happened inside the Minneapolis federal courthouse. Career prosecutors—the kind who’ve spent decades building corruption cases, prosecuting gang violence, and putting white-collar criminals behind bars—walked into U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen’s office and told him they were done playing along.
The issue? Two American citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, had been shot and killed by federal immigration agents within 17 days of each other. Video evidence contradicted official narratives. FBI agents and career prosecutors recommended civil rights investigations. And the Trump-appointed DOJ leadership said no.
According to CBS News reporting on January 29, the prosecutors didn’t mince words: “We are not being permitted to investigate the agents involved, and more of us will resign if this continues.”
That threat wasn’t hypothetical. By the time that meeting happened, at least six senior federal prosecutors had already walked out, including Joe Thompson, the office’s top fraud prosecutor. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division—the unit literally designed to investigate police killings—had lost multiple senior leaders in the same window. CBS confirmed the resignations on January 13, and sources inside the office say the exodus has gutted their capacity to handle major cases.
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Two Killings, Two Weeks, One Pattern of Obstruction
Renée Good was killed on January 7, 2026, during an encounter with an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Within hours, video footage began circulating that directly contradicted the administration’s initial story. Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison called for transparency. Federal prosecutors and FBI supervisors flagged the case for civil rights review.
The DOJ’s response? Block the investigation. Then redirect resources to investigate Good’s widow instead. No, really—CBS News documented that DOJ leadership pushed prosecutors to open inquiries into protest organizers and family members while refusing to scrutinize the shooter.
When prosecutors balked, some were told their jobs might be “reevaluated.” Others just quit.
Alex Pretti was shot 17 days later, on January 24. Pretti, a 37-year-old VA nurse, was holding a cell phone at a protest, literally attempting to shield another protester, when Border Patrol agents tackled him and opened fire. Multiple bystander videos captured the shooting. Once again, the initial DHS account didn’t match the footage. Once again, career prosecutors recommended a civil rights probe. Once again, DOJ leadership resisted—until public pressure forced their hand.
On January 30, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche finally announced that the FBI would lead a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death. But Renée Good? Still no federal civil rights probe. Congressional Democrats, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal, have demanded answers. Their January 27 letter accused DOJ of “refusing to investigate homicides of American citizens.”
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The Man in Charge Has Never Prosecuted Anything
Here’s the kicker: Dan Rosen, the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, has zero prosecutorial experience. He’s a Trump appointee with a background in corporate law, not criminal justice. And now he’s the guy deciding whether federal agents who kill civilians get investigated.
When his own prosecutors confronted him on January 29, Rosen reportedly stuck to the party line: DHS is handling it internally. We’re focused on other priorities.
Translation: We’re not touching this, and if you push it, you’re out.
