The FBI has launched a formal investigation into encrypted Signal group chats that anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement activists in Minneapolis allegedly used to track, identify, and interfere with federal law enforcement officers, FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday.
And it looks like some Minnesota state officials could face consequences.
The investigation was prompted by independent journalist Cam Higby’s viral X thread detailing coordinated efforts on the messaging app to share real-time information about ICE agents’ movements.
"We immediately opened up that investigation because that sort of Signal chat being coordinated with individuals, not just locally in Minnesota, but maybe even around the country — if that leads to a break in the federal statute or a violation of some law, then we are going to arrest people," Patel said. "You cannot create a scenario that illegally entraps and puts law enforcement in harm's way.”
Here’s where things get interesting.
At least two Democratic Minnesota state officials have been identified as administrators and dispatchers in the leaked chats. Minnesota state Rep. Brad Tabke coordinates the Scott County ICE Watch Signal chat, according to evidence showing he recruited people for patrol and dispatch shifts. Minnesota state Rep. Alex Falconer also participated in the chat and publicly admitted his role. "We've got a couple of groups on the app Signal that we would love for you to join," Falconer told supporters at campaign stops. Amanda Koehler, a former campaign strategist for Gov. Tim Walz, has also been identified as an administrator.
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Some believe Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is an admin in the chat going by the username Flan Southside, though that hasn't been confirmed, and Flanagan denies any involvement.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan rejected accusations that she led a private Signal chat group that was recording the license plates and locations of ICE officers.
Her office forcefully pushed back against online sleuths who said she operates anti-ICE activities on Signal under the handle “Flan Southside.”
Ms. Flanagan is among several Democratic officials the online sleuths tied to the coordination of the protesters who have been obstructing and harassing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis as they seek to round up unauthorized immigrants.
Former Justice Department Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle said that if Flanagan was involved with the chat, she could face serious consequences.
“If this is true, and if the Signal chat can be tied to the Pretti shooting, LG Flanagan is in serious trouble,” Mizelle said.
Flanagan’s lawyer told the Washington Times that the handle doesn’t belong to Flanagan, but that claim has yet to be conclusively confirmed or refuted. If Flanagan is determined to have been involved, it would be a massive problem for the Walz administration.
Gov. Tim Walz is already the subject of two separate federal investigations. The Justice Department is investigating Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over an alleged conspiracy to impede federal immigration agents. The second investigation involves massive fraud in Minnesota's social services programs, and Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are under the microscope in that one. Against that backdrop, the administration stands on shaky ground, and any additional legal trouble involving senior officials would compound an already severe crisis of credibility and leadership.
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