Former federal prosecutor blasts DOJ over Walz, Frey subpoenas: ‘Total garbage’

by Sarah Davis

Former federal prosecutor Harry Litman condemned the Justice Department’s (DOJ) probe into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) as “total garbage.”

In an interview Friday on MS NOW, Litman called the investigation “a complete and utter non-starter.”

“The statute that Ken refers to requires force, intimidation or threats,” Litman told “All In” host Chris Hayes. “There’s no way they could prove that, but even more … the First Amendment prevents any kind of action unless it is imminent and lawless.”

“And it’s a grave thing to try to defy a subpoena, even in a total garbage lawsuit, as this [investigation] is,” he added. “So, the question is, will they be able to forage in the files of Walz and Frey? That is probably their game.”

The Trump administration is investigating the Minnesota officials over accusations that they obstructed federal immigration enforcement operations in the state. Over 2,000 federal agents were expected to be deployed to Minneapolis as part of President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Litman predicted that charges, “will never happen.”

In response to the surge in federal immigration officials, hundreds of Minnesotans have taken to the streets to protest. Tensions reached a boiling point earlier this month after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in her vehicle. A second non-fatal shooting of a Venezuela migrant earlier this week provoked even further anger.

Walz and Frey have pushed back on the Trump administration over the incidents. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials have maintained that the officer that killed Good acted in self-defense.

The governor, who is also facing backlash over potential fraud in the state’s social services programs, ripped DOJ over its “dangerous” subpoena.

“Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic,” Walz wrote on social platform X. “The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”

Frey echoed the sentiment, calling the probe “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.”

Democratic lawmakers, who are seeking DHS reform, have rallied around the elected officials.