Both Walz and Frey have been at odds with federal officials who have argued the officer, Jonathan Ross, was justified in shooting Good. They have criticized the federal response and questioned why the FBI cut out local authorities from the probe into the Good shooting. CBS News first reported<\/a> on the investigation.<\/p>\n Walz said in a statement Friday the investigation is purely political. <\/p>\n \u201cTwo days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Frey said in a statement in response to reports of the DOJ investigation that he \u201cwill not be intimidated.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He added, \u201cNeither our city nor our country will succumb to this fear. We stand rock solid.\u201d<\/p>\n The Justice Department declined to comment. But the federal statute used in the investigation into Minnesota officials has been rarely used and has roots in the Civil War-era. But it was on a list of statutes listed in a memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi last month, obtained by NBC News, that offered a roadmap for federal prosecutors on how to boost investigations into individuals she dubbed domestic terrorists. <\/p>\n Bondi posted on X Friday<\/a>, \u201cA reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law.\u201d<\/p>\n The prospect of an investigation which would involve political speech by public officials raises First Amendment concerns that normally would involve a consultation with the Justice Department\u2019s Public Integrity Section before federal officials opened a criminal probe into public figures or took any proactive investigative steps, according to a person familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n But the Public Integrity Section has been decimated and sidelined in Trump\u2019s second term<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aaron Terry, director of public advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said in a statement Friday that if criticism of the administration\u2019s immigration enforcement operations is the basis for the investigation, \u201cit is blatantly unconstitutional and intolerable in a free society.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe right to condemn government action without fear of government punishment is the foundation of the First Amendment,\u201d Terry said.<\/p>\n In Minneapolis, tensions continue to run high; a federal officer shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis<\/a> on Thursday night after he allegedly fled a traffic stop and attacked an officer.<\/p>\n![\"Minnesota](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/260116-tim-walz-jacob-frey-mn-1845-553dad.jpg\")
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Star Tribune via Getty; AP<\/p>\n
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