Joe Thompson, the hard-hitting federal prosecutor who brought to light a staggering $250 million fraud scheme in Minnesota, has stepped down from his role at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Appointed as acting U.S. Attorney by President Donald Trump in May 2025, Thompson led the office until Daniel Rosen assumed the position in October, and his tenure included spearheading the investigation into the Feeding Our Future scandal tied to state-run programs within Minnesota’s Somali community, resulting in numerous indictments and convictions.
The news of his resignation has stirred discussion among legal and political circles, with many questioning the timing and underlying reasons for his departure.
Reports from various outlets, including Fox News, indicate speculation around Thompson’s exit, with some tying it to disagreements over the Justice Department’s handling of a separate investigation into a fatal shooting, though a DOJ official clarified that retirement paperwork for Thompson and others was submitted months prior to that incident.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the United States and this office,” Thompson wrote in an email obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune, offering no hint of discord but leaving room for interpretation.
His measured words stand in contrast to whispers of frustration within the department, suggesting deeper tensions over policy directions that don’t align with the no-nonsense approach Thompson championed.
Thompson’s legacy is cemented by his relentless pursuit of justice in the Feeding Our Future case, exposing a web of deceit that funneled millions meant for hungry children into private pockets.
“Our state is far and away the leader in fraud now and everyone sees it,” he told the Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board last year, a blunt assessment that underscored the scale of corruption and the embarrassment it brought to state leadership.
Under his watch, dozens faced indictments, convictions followed, and even Gov. Tim Walz opted against seeking a third term as the scandal’s shadow grew, a decision many see as tied to the fallout.
Beyond the fraud case, Thompson tackled other high-profile matters, including federal charges against Vance Boelter for a tragic shooting rampage that claimed the lives of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, while seriously injuring state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
His departure isn’t solitary, as at least four senior lawyers from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division have also resigned recently, with sources suggesting discontent over being sidelined from certain investigations, though the DOJ pushes back against such claims as inaccurate.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the department’s stance, stating, “There is currently no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation,” regarding a separate probe, a position that some see as sidestepping tougher accountability.
Thompson’s exit feels like a blow to those who value prosecutors willing to confront systemic failures head-on, especially in a climate where fraud and misuse of public funds seem to grow bolder by the day.
While the DOJ insists all is well internally, with division head Harmeet Dhillon dismissing resignation reports as “bogus” on X, the revolving door of seasoned legal minds raises questions about whether the department’s priorities match the urgency of the issues at hand.
For a nation hungry for integrity in government, losing a figure like Thompson, who didn’t shy from calling out Minnesota’s fraud epidemic, signals a troubling gap at a time when trust in public institutions already hangs by a thread.