DOJ Civil Rights Division Leaders Mass Resign Over Refusal to Investigate Renee Good Killingtimeline_event

icedojcover-upresignationcivil-rights-divisionrenee-goodprosecutor-revolt
2026-01-13 · 1 min read · Edit on Pyrite

type: timeline_event At least six senior DOJ officials resign in protest after Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon refuses to investigate ICE agent Jonathan Ross's killing of American citizen Renee Good, while simultaneously launching an investigation into Good's widow Rebecca and Minneapolis activists.

Who Resigned:

  • Joseph H. Thompson - Former Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota (second in command)
  • Jim Felte - Chief, Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division
  • Principal Deputy Chief - Criminal Section
  • Deputy Chief - Criminal Section
  • Acting Deputy Chief - Criminal Section
  • Five additional federal prosecutors in Minnesota
  • The Decision: Deputy AG Todd Blanche announced there was "no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation" into Ross. Dhillon formalized the decision not to investigate the shooter - departing from normal procedure where the Criminal Section investigates fatal shootings by law enforcement.

    The Inversion: Instead of investigating the federal agent who killed an American citizen, DOJ:

  • Launched investigation into Good's widow Rebecca
  • Investigated Minneapolis activists for ties to "anti-Trump groups"
  • Pursued First Amendment-protected protest activity as potential "domestic terrorism"
  • Resignation Reason: Per NYT, prosecutors resigned due to "the Justice Department's push to investigate the widow of Renee Good and the department's reluctance to investigate the shooter."

    Context: The Civil Rights Division had ~380 attorneys when Trump took office. After Dhillon took the helm in April 2025, a large exodus occurred. Dhillon said she "welcomed the departures."

    This mass resignation represented the most significant departure from DOJ since February 2025, crystallizing the administration's inversion of civil rights enforcement - using the division meant to protect citizens from state violence to instead protect state violence from accountability.