Multiple major media outlets are reporting that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has served grand jury subpoenas to the offices of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Attorney General Keith Ellison, as well as other prominent Democrats in Minnesota, including St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty, on Tuesday. The DOJ has not yet confirmed these reports.
🚨BREAKING: The FBI Just served SEVERAL SUBPOENAS to the offices of leaders in Minnesota — INCLUDING Tim Walz and Jacob Frey.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 20, 2026
They should and will testify for their despicable actions. pic.twitter.com/LUB5M5qjrD
The move is allegedly part of the Donald Trump administration's investigation into these officials' roles in the obstruction of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Trump's overall illegal immigration crackdown, specifically tied to the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Operation Metro Surge. The operation began in Minnesota in December.
The subpoenas were allegedly served to each individual's office by the FBI. The Daily Wire confirmed that Frey's office received one and released a statement on the matter:
When the federal government weaponizes its power to try to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned. We shouldn't have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with. In Minneapolis, we won't be afraid. We know the difference between right and wrong and, as Mayor, I'll continue doing the job I was elected to do: keeping our community safe and standing up for our values.
Fox reports that Frey's office has been called to appear at the U.S. federal courthouse at 9 a.m. on Feb. 3.
Fox also reports that Walz's office confirmed receiving a subpoena, but it has not released an official response.
However, Walz's office posted something on X earlier on Tuesday related to the situation.
It reads:
Mr. President, Minnesota invites you to see our values in action.
Come see how communities from all walks of life are working together, and how the spirit of this state refuses to be defined by division or fear. I invite you to join me, and others in our community, to help restore calm and order and reaffirm that true public safety comes from shared purpose, trust, and respect.
But let me be absolutely clear: The State of Minnesota will not be drawn into political theater. This Justice Department investigation, sparked by calls for accountability in the face of violence, chaos, and the killing of Renee Good, does not seek justice. It is a partisan distraction. Minnesotans are more concerned with safety and peace rather than with baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants standing shoulder to shoulder with their community.
My focus has always been protecting the people of this state, not protecting myself. Families are scared. Kids are afraid to go to school. Small businesses are hurting. A mother is dead, and the people responsible have yet to be held accountable. That's where the energy of the federal government should be directed: toward restoring trust, accountability, and real law and order, not political retaliation.
Minnesota will not be intimidated into silence and neither will I.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 20, 2026
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According to the New York Times, "While the subpoenas did not cite a specific criminal statute that the Justice Department was investigating, the inquiry was said to focus on whether elected officials in Minnesota had conspired to impede the thousands of federal agents who have been in the state since last month looking for undocumented immigrants."
For example, 18 U.S. Code § 372 - Conspiracy to impede or injure officer states:
If two or more persons in any State, Territory, Possession, or District conspire to prevent, by force, intimidation, or threat, any person from accepting or holding any office, trust, or place of confidence under the United States, or from discharging any duties thereof, or to induce by like means any officer of the United States to leave the place, where his duties as an officer are required to be performed, or to injure him in his person or property on account of his lawful discharge of the duties of his office, or while engaged in the lawful discharge thereof, or to injure his property so as to molest, interrupt, hinder, or impede him in the discharge of his official duties, each of such persons shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six years, or both.
This is a developing story. Please check back with PJ Media for updates.
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