US EditionAs political pressure prompts exodus of Minnesota prosecutors, some defendants catch a break
Career prosecutors resigned over politicized directives, leading to case dismissals and delays that let defendants like a 12-time felon walk free, weakening Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
- Over the past year, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota has been gutted by resignations, with the number of assistant U.S. attorneys falling from over 40 to fewer than 30, straining prosecutions.
- Prosecutors say perceived politicization and immigration directives from Trump appointees at the Justice Department, plus blocked probes into a case, accelerated departures.
- Following the abrupt case drop, the office released Cory Allen McKay on Jan. 31 after the prosecutor retired, and last month dropped a case involving 7,600 fentanyl pills and 15 pounds of cocaine.
- Local officials warn the staffing losses leave the office unable, at least temporarily, to bring charges against serious offenders and say McKay's release poses a big public safety concern.
- Among those who left last month were the office's former acting leader Joe Thompson and criminal division chief Harry Jacobs, while the office has been bringing in prosecutors from other states and asking judges to delay hearings.
63 Articles
63 Articles
Chicago Tribune
How a defendant in Minnesota went free because of Justice Department turmoil
The federal prosecutor’s office in Minnesota has been gutted by a wave of career officials resigning or retiring over objections to Trump administration directives.
abc10 News
Trump DOJ policies spark resignations, dropped cases in Minnesota
The federal prosecutors office in Minnesota has been gutted by a wave of career officials resigning or retiring over objections to Trump administration directives. Because of the turmoil, 12-time convicted felon Cory Allen McKay caught a break.With a three-decade record of violent crime that includes strangling a pregnant woman and firing a shotgun under a person's chin, McKay was scheduled to stand trial next month on methamphetamine traffickin…
Associated Press News
As political pressure prompts exodus of Minnesota prosecutors, some defendants catch a break
The federal prosecutor’s office in Minnesota has been gutted by a wave of career officials resigning or retiring over objections to Trump administration directives.
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