Minneapolis Car-Ramming Case: DOJ Now Investigating State Officials for Obstructing Probe
By Eric Mack | Monday, 19 January 2026 11:24 AM EST
The Justice Department’s investigation into Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross began as a civil rights probe of an officer-involved shooting but has since shifted focus to examine the actions of anti-ICE activist Renee Good and her partner, who were described by President Donald Trump as “professional agitators and insurrectionists” at the scene.
According to sources, the investigation is now centered on the conduct of Good and her associate rather than Ross himself. Additionally, anti-policing and anti-ICE rhetoric from Minnesota Democrats has placed their leaders under scrutiny in lieu of the shooter.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, led by Harmeet Dhillon, typically reviews law enforcement shootings to assess potential rights violations, but the specifics of this ICE-related incident prompted a rapid change in policy within the Trump administration.
Following the car-ramming attack, Minnesota’s radical leftist leaders—including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Governor Tim Walz, and Attorney General Keith Ellison—made public statements that the Department of Homeland Security and DOJ characterized as “self-defense” cases. This rhetoric reportedly pressured federal officials to alter the investigation’s direction.
Some officials have viewed the shift in focus as politically motivated, with at least six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigning after being directed to change the investigation’s scope.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated during a televised interview that the department only investigates officer-involved shootings when warranted, emphasizing this case did not meet those criteria.
The Department of Justice has now turned its attention to whether Walz and Frey obstructed federal law enforcement through their public statements following the incident.
