Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) began investigating whether Becca Good, the widow of a queer woman killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent last week, had any criminal associations or ties to anti-government groups.

The current presidential administration has repeatedly tried to portray Renee Good, the woman killed by an ICE agent, as a “domestic terrorist” who was part of a “sinister left-wing movement” that criminally sought to interfere with ICE’s actions. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called the government’s characterization of Good “bulls**t.”

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FBI launches investigation into ICE shooting victim Renee Good for her ties to activists

Joseph H. Thompson, the second in command at the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, quit after the DOJ’s push to investigate Becca Good, The New York Times reported. His departure was followed by that of senior career prosecutors Harry Jacobs, Melinda Williams and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez. None of them explained their sudden resignations.

The departures come amidst growing public unrest over Renee Good’s killing. Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, recently refused to investigate whether ICE agent Jonathan Ross violated federal law by shooting Renee Good in the face three times as she drove away from him last Wednesday morning.

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Video of Renee Good’s killing showed that Ross was barely brushed by her vehicle as she slowly turned to leave. He then shot her thrice, called her a “f**king b**ch,” and then quickly fled the scene.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) expressed regret over Thompson’s resignation, calling him “a principled public servant who spent more than a decade achieving justice for Minnesotans.”

“It’s also the latest sign Trump is pushing nonpartisan career professionals out of the justice department, replacing them with his sycophants,” Walz added.

Thompson had worked for the DOJ for 17 years, served as acting U.S. attorney in Minnesota for several months starting last June, and oversaw cases such as the murder of state House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) by a right-wing assassin last year.

The Times’ reporting on the investigation comes as four senior officials in the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division have resigned in protest of the administration’s decision not to investigate whether Ross violated Good’s rights.

Last week, the FBI said it would take full control of the investigation into the shooting,
 excluding state law enforcement from access to case materials, evidence, and witnesses. Critics of the administration argued that keeping blue-state law enforcement out of the investigation and confining it to an agency loyal to the president is likely to bias the investigation.

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