WASHINGTON (AP) — Minnesota officials filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing the Trump administration of withholding evidence related to three shootings by federal officers, including the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
The lawsuit claims that the federal government reneged on its promise to cooperate with state investigations following Operation Metro Surge, and requests the court to compel the federal government to comply.
As part of President Donald Trump’s national deportation campaign, the administration deployed thousands of officers to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area for this immigration crackdown, which the Department of Homeland Security considered its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. However, it faced intense criticism from Minnesota’s leaders and raised serious concerns regarding the officers’ conduct.
The lawsuit contends that withholding of investigative evidence to protect law enforcement officers from scrutiny is not permissible when a state is investigating potential violations of its laws within its own borders.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department have been made via emails.
The Justice Department had previously announced a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti’s killing, while claiming a similar investigation into Good’s killing was unwarranted. Historically, past administrations have acted swiftly to probe officer-involved shootings involving civilians for potential civil rights breaches.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that investigations into law enforcement shootings are not automatic and must be warranted based on facts and circumstances.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty expressed that adopting a policy to categorically withhold evidence is both unprecedented and alarming.
