Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed Justice Department subpoenas issued to him and other Minnesota Democrats, calling the federal government’s probe “political retribution.”
Frey, along with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, was served subpoenas by the FBI earlier this week as they are accused of conspiring to interfere with federal law enforcement operations. Asked about his subpoena by NewsNation host Chris Cuomo on Wednesday night, Frey said the Trump administration’s action “should be of deep concern for everybody.”
“Obviously, it’s frivolous,” Frey said. “I’m going to let some of the lawyers handle the way this is handled as it works its way through the process. And again, this should be of deep concern for everybody.”
“This is political retribution that we are seeing here,” he added. “This is some form of retaliation, because I don’t know, the state didn’t support the president in like three consecutive elections. And we have an important role right now.”
Minnesota Democrats have argued that President Donald Trump is targeting their state as part of a “retribution” campaign. The state leaders point to Trump’s post on Truth Social on January 13, when the president wrote, “FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!”
Last week, the Justice Department opened an investigation into Frey and Walz, looking into whether the Democratic leaders violated a federal statute by interfering with federal immigration enforcement.
After the shooting death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good on January 7, Frey told ICE to “get the f*ck out of Minneapolis.” Good was shot and killed after she was confronted by federal law enforcement agents when she parked her vehicle in front of them. She then drove her vehicle toward an ICE officer after another officer attempted to open her car door.
After the fatal shooting, the mayor said that ICE agents were “causing chaos” in Minneapolis and suggested that residents were asking for the city police to “fight” ICE agents “on the streets” before he urged residents to remain peaceful.
Last week in Minneapolis, tensions escalated following a confrontation between federal immigration agents and agitators after an ICE agent fired defensive shots during an operation, leaving a Venezuelan illegal immigrant with non-life-threatening injuries, federal officials said. Agitators showed up on the scene and threw fireworks at law enforcement officers and vandalized federal law enforcement vehicles, and in at least one case, broke into a federal vehicle.
On Wednesday night, Frey doubled down on the city’s refusal to cooperate with ICE.
“We will not [cooperate],” Frey told Cuomo. “And there’s a good reason, by the way, that we won’t. And it’s not just the moral imperative here. It’s also the fact that I want our police officers focusing on safety. I want our police officers arresting perpetrators of violent crime and preventing carjackings from taking place and doing that basic work of 911 response.”
The Trump administration has said that the surge in immigration agents in Minneapolis is due to city and state leaders refusing to work with ICE and hand over detained illegal immigrants. The White House said last week that Trump has a mandate from the American people to carry out deportations, but argued that Minnesota Democrats “have chosen defiance over partnership.”
“This toxic combination of ‘sanctuary’ policies and anti-ICE rhetoric has created a climate of hostility that endangers federal officers and incites violence,” the White House added. “Make no mistake: the responsibility for the enhanced enforcement operations in Minnesota — and the tension and violence — lies squarely with these officials who refuse to partner with the Trump Administration and instead put their Radical Left agenda over public safety and the rule of law.”
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