The Justice Department (DOJ) served grand jury subpoenas to Minnesota officials, ramping its probe into whether state lawmakers conspired to obstruct law enforcement during the recent surge in immigration crackdowns in the Minneapolis-St. Paul areas being carried out by the Trump administration.
Subpoenas were served to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, as well as officials in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, according to the document and sources who spoke with NBC News and AP News.
On Jan. 19, an anonymous source revealed that the DOJ had prepared subpoenas for both Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey as it launched its criminal investigation, yet it had not yet been confirmed whether the documents had been served.
Mayor Frey’s office released a subpoena, which demanded a list of documents for a grand jury on Feb. 3, including “any records tending to show a refusal to come to the aid of immigration officials.”
The subpoenas were sent a day after the federal government attempted to convince a federal judge to reject measures aimed at halting immigration operations in Minneapolis and St. Paul since early January.
Mayor Frey accused the DOJ of wrongfully using its power in a statement to NBC News.
"When the federal government weaponizes its power to try to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned. We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with," Mayor Frey uttered.
Ellison also commented on the subpoena, stating that its purpose was "for records and documents, not for me personally."
Mayor Her, additionally, acknowledged the subpoena, expressing that she is “unfazed by these tactics.”
The federal statute invoked in the probe into Minnesota leadership is a part of a long list that Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a memo, which instructed federal prosecutors on how to charge political aggravators with crimes.
