Trump administration hits roadblock in Walz investigation
A federal judge has thrown out an attempt by the Trump administration to subpoena Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, saying the move was retaliatory in nature.
In his order, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said the main purpose of the subpoenas was to “coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration law and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so.”
Schiltz said the subpoenas were created to damage Walz and described the action as part of a pattern the Trump administration has used, utilizing criminal process to punish the president’s perceived political enemies.
“Initiating a criminal investigation in order to harass political opponents or to coerce them into taking official action … is a blatantly unlawful and unethical use the grand-jury process,” Schiltz wrote.
The order was signed on June 17 but unsealed on Monday.
What’s the background of the case?
The federal government first served the subpoenas in late January, following the large-scale immigration operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The administration said the investigation was to uncover whether Walz and other officials obstructed or impeded law enforcement during the operation.
Besides Walz, subpoenas were sent to the offices of state Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties.
But Schiltz said the federal government appeared to have “extremely weak to nonexistent” connections between the information they were seeking and possible criminal violations. He said that the Trump administration sought materials “that largely if not entirely” were related to “constitutionally protected conduct.” Schiltz also noted that Minnesota had the legal authority not to devote its resources to enforcing federal immigration law.
Responses to the ruling
Walz, who was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2024, celebrated the win, calling it a “victory for the rule of law and our democracy.”
“The U.S. Justice Department is pursuing criminal investigations into the President’s political opponents,” Walz said. “This case was just one example of that, but we are seeing daily reminders of this administration’s lawlessness – in Minnesota and around the country. We all must continue to seek justice and uphold the rule of law.”
Ellison also released a statement about the order, saying the Trump administration was targeting him for “standing up for the people of Minnesota.”
“No matter how much Donald Trump threatens, targets, and attacks me, I will never stop working to protect Minnesotans from Trump’s abuses of power,” Ellison wrote.
President Donald Trump has not commented on the ruling at the time of publication, but Schiltz said he opted to unseal it days after it was issued to allow time for the Justice Department to appeal the decision. As of publication, court records indicate that the federal government has not filed an appeal on the order, according to Politico.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
