The lead federal prosecutor who aided in the uncovering of Minnesota fraud has resigned from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, reports indicate. Joe Thompson, who served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, was appointed as acting U.S. Attorney of Minnesota by President Trump last spring. Daniel Rosen took over the position in October.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) called Thompson a “principled public servant who spent more than a decade achieving justice for Minnesotans,” in a statement on X. “This is a huge loss for our state. It’s also the latest sign Trump is pushing nonpartisan career professionals out of the justice department, replacing them with his sycophants.”
“It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the United States and this office,” Thompson wrote in an email obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune, although he did not state a reason for his departure.
The resignation comes amid a federal investigation into the recent shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis after she weaponized her vehicle against an ICE agent.
Several other assistant U.S. attorneys also announced their resignations, including Melinda Williams, Harry Jacobs, and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez.
Last year, Thompson was involved in a case leading to the discovery of a $250 million fraud scheme linked to the exploitation of a child nutrition program. In 2023 and 2024, he served on the Special Counsel team investigating the mishandled documents found at the Penn-Biden Center. Thompson previously served as a federal prosecutor in Chicago from 2009 to 2014.
