A significant protest has erupted within the US Department of Justice, with at least four senior attorneys resigning after a top official blocked an investigation into a fatal shooting by a federal immigration agent.
Resignations Follow Blocked Civil Rights Probe
Several leaders within the DoJ's civil rights division have stepped down, according to reports. The mass departure is a direct response to a decision by Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, not to open an inquiry into the killing of Renee Nicole Good. Good, an unarmed US citizen, was shot three times in the face by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on 7 January.
Such an investigation would be standard procedure following a law enforcement shooting. Multiple career prosecutors had reportedly offered to lead the inquiry but were instructed not to proceed. The resignations mark the latest in an exodus from the division; since Donald Trump began his second term a year ago, more than 250 attorneys have left or been reassigned, reducing staff by roughly 70%.
FBI Investigates Victim as White House Pushes Narrative
While the civil rights probe was halted, the FBI has seized control of the case from local officials. According to the New York Times, the bureau is investigating Good's "possible connections to activist groups" that protest ICE activities. This aligns with a White House effort to portray the victim as responsible for her own death.
A succession of Trump administration figures, including the president, Vice-President JD Vance, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, have repeatedly—and without presenting evidence—labelled Good a "domestic terrorist" or "paid agitator." Vance, in an angry White House briefing, alleged she was part of a leftwing network using "domestic terror techniques."
This official narrative starkly contradicts available evidence. Video of the confrontation appears to show Good trying to steer her car away from the agent when she was shot. Family members state she had just dropped her six-year-old son at school. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the administration's "rush to judgment", noting they had predetermined the outcome before any proper investigation.
A Civil Rights Division Transformed
The incident underscores a dramatic shift in the DoJ's priorities under its current leadership. Dhillon, a Trump ally and election denier confirmed in April, has rapidly moved the civil rights division away from its traditional work on discrimination and marginalised groups. The focus is now on politically charged issues like alleged voter fraud and anti-transgender policies.
Kristen Clarke, who led the division under President Biden, told media that investigating officials for potential unlawful use of force is one of the division's "most solemn duties." The resigning prosecutors were among the nation's leading experts in this work. The Guardian previously reported that by September, only two lawyers remained in the DoJ's 36-strong public integrity unit, which probes corrupt officials.
The justice department has been contacted for comment on the resignations. The fallout from the Minneapolis shooting continues to reveal deep tensions between career legal professionals and the political agenda of the current administration.
