Wolf Accuses Minnesota Governor and Mayor of “Unserious” Response to Minneapolis Shooting

Former acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Saturday, labeling their response to a fatal shooting by a federal law enforcement agent in Minneapolis as “unserious” and accusing them of embarking on a campaign of disinformation.

Wolf, now chairman for homeland security and immigration at the America First Policy Institute, stated President Donald Trump has “certainly a legal basis” to invoke the Insurrection Act amid unrest in the city but emphasized such a decision would be ultimately political. The incident occurred earlier that day when a Minneapolis man was shot and killed by a federal law enforcement agent.

Wolf questioned how Governor Walz deployed the National Guard, noting he had heard it was being used to protect local police facilities “not federal law enforcement facilities, and certainly not ICE agents on the ground.” He added that federal immigration enforcement would continue despite calls for its suspension.

“The leadership, both at the mayor and the governor’s level, there is no leadership,” Wolf said, accusing Walz and Frey of losing control of their city. He further criticized Walz for “flat-out” lying when he claimed the Department of Homeland Security is not a law enforcement agency, noting that DHS employs over 70,000 officers and is the largest law enforcement agency in the country.

Wolf described local police as constrained by city and state leadership, stating: “I think they’re in a very difficult situation… They want to do the right thing. They want to help federal law enforcement. They can’t because of the mayor and the governor’s policies.” He called for an investigation into Walz and Frey if they have broken any laws, stressing that inconsistent messaging from officials has worsened tensions since the shooting.