DOJ Targets Tim Walz and Jacob Frey

Summary

---

Bulwark Takes – DOJ Targets Tim Walz and Jacob Frey

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Host: Sam Stein (Managing Editor at The Bulwark)
Date: January 17, 2026

---

Overview

This episode dives into breaking news from Minnesota:

1. A landmark federal court ruling limits the actions of federal agents, especially ICE and Border Patrol, against peaceful protesters in Minneapolis.
2. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued unprecedented subpoenas to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, escalating tensions between the federal government and local Democratic leaders.
   Host Sam Stein contextualizes these stories within the ongoing Operation Metro Surge and the political atmosphere following the fatal police shooting of Renee Goode.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Federal Judge’s Ruling Against Federal Agents

[01:30–06:03]

• Background:
  A federal judge, Kate Menendez (Biden appointee), issued an 80-page ruling barring federal agents in Minneapolis from arresting peaceful protesters or using non-lethal munitions/crowd control tools against them.
• Motivation:
  The ruling responds to increasing reports and disturbing footage showing aggressive federal actions, including ICE and Border Patrol agents using disproportionate force.
• Testimonial Evidence:
  Anecdotes include families traumatized by gas canisters—one notably where a six-month-old girl struggled to breathe after gas filled their car.
• Video Clips Referenced (not played, but described):
  • Cell phone video of ICE agents “pummeling some dude with his knee,” repeatedly hitting the defenseless man’s head.
    • Quoted directly:
      • "Hey, stop. Knee him in the face. That's his face. Stop it." (Narrated at [03:10])
  • Another clip from CNN with DHS Secretary Chris Y. defending agent conduct as “by the book,” juxtaposed with footage of agents reportedly choking a person with their legs.
• Key Provisions of the Ruling:
  • Prohibits the use of pepper spray or non-lethal munitions on peaceful protestors.
  • Bars the stopping or following of vehicles unless unsafe.
    • "Judge also prohibited federal agents from stopping vehicles... as long as those vehicles are maintaining a safe and appropriate distance." (Sam Stein, [05:17])
  • Provides new legal space for protestors and press to document ICE activities without fear of retaliation.
• Political and Legal Impact:
  • Stein frames this as a significant victory for protest rights, though appeals are certain.
  • He notes the apparent contradiction between claims of ICE being impeded and footage showing agents acting with “impunity.”

---

2. DOJ Subpoenas Target Minnesota Leaders

[06:04–10:45]

• Event:
  The DOJ issued subpoenas to Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, alleging they are obstructing federal law enforcement.
  • "The subpoenas, which are without recent precedent, escalate an already bitter political battle..." (Sam Stein quoting The Washington Post, [06:24])
• Political Context:
  • Both Walz and Frey are Democrats who have publicly criticized ICE and encouraged peaceful protest.
  • They have also condemned any violent or riotous actions by protestors.
• Subpoenas’ Significance:
  • Stein casts these DOJ actions as unprecedented “weaponization” of federal power against political opposition:
    • "This is the weaponization of the Justice Department in ways that we have never seen." (Sam Stein, [08:30])
    • He underscores the irony that those making the accusation of “DOJ weaponization” are now doing it themselves.
• Protest and Policing Background:
  • Tensions are especially high after the police killing of Renee Goode.
• Investigation Imbalances:
  • While local officials are being targeted, the DOJ is “refusing to investigate the actions of the police officer who shot and killed Renee Goode.”
  • "At least six US Attorneys in Minneapolis have resigned because the instructions from above are that the investigation into Renee Goode's shooting should focus on Renee Goode, her relatives, and whether she has any connection to some sort of, I don't know, nefarious organization that's whipping up these protests. They're refusing to investigate the officer." (Sam Stein, [09:27])
• Systemic Issues Highlighted:
  • The resignations of DOJ officials underscore dissent within federal legal circles.
  • Ongoing daycare center corruption investigations provide an unusual nexus for these resignations and investigations, showing deeper problems in local-federal relations.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the intensity of ICE operations and Judge Menendez’s intervention:
  • "This is a victory for people who care about the right to demonstrate, the right to protest, which are fundamental American rights..." (Sam Stein, [05:37])
• On the irony and precedent of the DOJ actions:
  • "When the Post says that this is without recent precedent, what they really mean is this is kind of without precedent... This is the weaponization of the Justice Department in ways that we have never seen." (Sam Stein, [08:15 & 08:30])
• On the focus of the DOJ investigation post-Renee Goode’s killing:
  • "They are refusing to investigate the officer. And so these U.S. attorneys resigned..." (Sam Stein, [09:40])
• Summing up the bizarre state of justice and priorities:
  • “Just to reiterate, what we know now is that the Justice Department is investigating and issuing subpoenas to Tim Walz, Jacob Frey, but they are refusing to look at the man who shot and killed Renee Goode. Seems ass backwards to me.” (Sam Stein, [10:18])

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:30–06:03] – Breakdown of the federal judge’s order against ICE and law enforcement in Minneapolis
• [03:10] – Description and reaction to violent ICE footage
• [05:17] – Key points from Judge Menendez’s order
• [06:04–10:45] – DOJ subpoenas to Walz and Frey; analysis of political motivation and precedent
• [09:27] – Resignation of U.S. Attorneys over the Renee Goode investigation
• [10:18] – Sam Stein’s summary and indictment of DOJ’s priorities

---

Summary Flow & Tone

Sam Stein delivers a direct, impassioned report with a tone of exhaustion (“It’s been a long week. I’m pretty tired.”) mixed with urgency and deep concern over “ass backwards” federal priorities and political targeting. The content is rich in local detail and national significance, framed as both a breaking news update and an alarm about civil liberties and misuse of federal power.

---

If you care about protest rights, DOJ overreach, or the ongoing powder keg of policing in America, this episode delivers essential context and fiery analysis.

Transcript

[A]

Five years ago, I was paying $65 a month for my subscriptions. Today, those Same subscriptions cost $111, and I don't even use half of them anymore. That's why now I use Rocket Money to manage my subscriptions for me. The app gives you a list of all your subscriptions and reminds you of upcoming payments so you're not hit with any surprise charges. On top of that, it also sends you alerts when subscription prices go up, so you always know the price you're paying. If you decide you no longer want a subscription, you can cancel it right from the app. No customer service needed. And the best part is, Rocket Money even reaches out and tries to get you refunded for some of the money you lost. On average, people that cancel their subscriptions with rocket money save $378 a year. And overall, Rocket Money has saved its members $880 million in canceled subscriptions. Stop wasting money on things you don't use. Go to rocketmoney.com cancel to get started, that's rocketmoney.com cancel rocketmoney.com cancel.

[B]

I'm here.

[C]

With Spin Quest, where you can play and win from the comfort of your own home with hundreds of slot games and all of the table games you love with real cash prizes. Right now, $30 coin packs are on sale for $10. For new users, it's [e-mail] that's S-P-I-N Q U E S T.com Spin Quest.

[A]

Is a free to play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spin quest.com for more details.

[D]

Hey, everybody, it's me, Sam Stein, managing editor at the BoR. It's pretty late on Friday. It's been a long week. I'm pretty tired. But there's some breaking news out of Minnesota tonight. Actually, two pretty big stories that I just wanted to address and bring you. The first one I think is probably more important. Definitely more important, although it could be appealed. But a federal judge on Friday evening issued a ruling. I think it was like an 80 page ruling that was pretty significant. The ruling barred federal agents in Minneapolis from arresting peaceful protesters and from using non lethal munitions and crowd control tools against them. So obviously this is a big deal. You've been seeing tons of footage from Minneapolis showing ICE agents, Border patrol agents, federal agents really using aggressive tactics against peaceful demonstrators. We've had anecdotal evidence, we've had stories of families. There's one really horrifying story about this father who was taking his six kids home. I believe it was. And one of the girls, a six month old, couldn't even breathe because of they had launched gas canisters and they'd gone into the car. In theory, this, this ruling, this issue, this order from the federal judge should put a stop to that. Basically says you can't do that stuff. The, the judge who issued the order, U.S. district Judge Kate Menendez, a Biden appointee. The thing is, it's going to be appealed, right? Like, so the Trump administration is going to appeal it. We'll see what happens. But it's the first real case, I think, at this point of a federal judge intervening in the ICE operations. Operation Metro Surge is what they're calling what's happening in Minneapolis. And I'm just going to play two video clips so you can get a sense of the type of stuff that we're talking about. So this first clip is from the ap, and this is just a cell phone footage of, of ICE agents or border patrol agents, what appears to be just absolutely pummeling some dude with his knee as other Border Patrol agents hold this person down. You just watch it and you can see it looks like the knee is connecting with this man's head multiple times while he's just down there defenseless. Take a look at this. It's a short video clip. Hey, stop. Knee him in the face. That's his face. Stop it. If this is just one piece of cell phone footage, you have to imagine that this is happening all across the city. In fact, we know there's a lot that's happening across the city because there's a lot of other footage that's out there. So if you look, this one was pulled from cnn. This has DHS Secretary Chris Y. Claiming that ICE officers are doing everything by the book, that they're skilled, they're. You know, I think Stephen Miller used the phrase flawless all alongside other video of ICE agents just absolutely beating the hell out of someone. It looks like they're choking this dude with their legs around his neck. Again, this person is just square down, face down on the cement. And these agents are just completely on top of him, viciously beating him. Take a look. The officers that we have out there.

[B]

Are very highly trained and skilled, specific for the operations that they're doing.

[D]

They're utilizing the most gifted individuals on.

[B]

These operations to go out and to do enforcement because many times if they're.

[D]

Going after murderers, this stuff is happening across the city. We know this. And the judge's ruling in theory should put a stop to it. What Menendez the judge says that ICE officials involved in Operation MetroServ are barred from, quote, using pepper spray or similar non lethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools against persons who are engaging in peaceful and unobtrusive protest activity. Judge also prohibited federal agents from stopping vehicles following them as long as those vehicles are maintaining a safe and appropriate distance. That last part seems pretty key. The as we know from what happened with Renee Good and also what happened with some other people, ICE agents take being followed very seriously. This at least gives some legal space for that to happen and some guidelines to ensure. Let's hope that there aren't violent confrontations here. So this is a big deal. This is a victory for people who care about the right to demonstrate, the right to protest, which are fundamental American rights, and people who are, you know, who find what ICE is doing abhorrent and are really worried about the use of physical violence. In theory, this is a big deal. Now, we do expect the administration to repeal the ruling, so we'll see. All right. So what's the other piece of big news? So the other piece of big news came earlier tonight and it is from the Justice Department. I'm just going to read the Washington Post's write up of what happened here. Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Governor Tim Walls and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation alleging that the two Democratic leaders are impeding federal law enforcement officers abilities to do their jobs in the state. The subpoenas, which are without recent precedent, escalate an already bitter political battle between the Trump administration and state officials following the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. One of the people familiar with the case confirmed the plan was to serve subpoenas Friday. People spoken, condition of anonymity, yada yada, yada. What the hell? I mean, what the hell? There's so much to unpack here. So. Tim Walls, Jacob Frey, Democrats highly critical of ice. They've been encouraging people to demonstrate peacefully, but they've also said repeatedly, repeatedly that people who are rioting or resorting to violence against ICE are wrong and they need to stop. They themselves have been saying that they've been excluded from the investigation into the killing of Renee Goode. They're not impeding the investigation. They haven't been included in the investigation. Now, of course, this subpoena is for impeding ICE officers, but it's ridiculous. Do these ICE officers look like they're being impeded? I mean, they're operating with impunity. They're everywhere. They're not being impeded if anything, they probably need restraint, which is why this federal judge issued her order. But this is obviously an effort yet again, to put a chill on any critic of ICE and to go after Democratic critics of the president. When the Post says that this is without recent precedent, what they really mean is this is kind of without precedent. I mean, maybe there's some historical anecdote that I'm unaware of, but this is the weaponization of the Justice Department in ways that we have never seen. And it's ironic because the people who are doing it are the ones who have accused the Justice Department of being weaponized against them. There's no Democrat president who's done this to a Republican governor or Republican mayor. Trump didn't do this in his first term. And the bitter, bitter irony here, the bitter irony here is that the Justice Department is now investigating Tim Walls and Jacob Frey while simultaneously refusing to investigate the actions of the police officer who shot and killed Renee Good. They are just not. They're not. They're not doing this. How do we know? Because at least six US Attorneys in Minneapolis have resigned because the instructions from above are that the investigation into Renee Goode's shooting should focus on Renee Goode, her relatives, and whether she has any connection to some sort of, I don't know, nefarious organization that's whipping up these protests. They're refusing to investigate the officer. And so these U.S. attorneys resigned, including, I should say, one U.S. attorney who has been integral to all the probes and investigations into the corruption in Minneapolis involving daycare centers, which is the, which is the nexus of all of this. So, again, just to reiterate, what we know now is that the Justice Department is investigating and issuing subpoenas to Tim Walls, Jacob Frey, but they are refusing to look at the man who shot and killed Renee Goode. Seems ass backwards to me. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the world we live in. Anyways, wanted to give you those two updates on Friday night. We're going to keep on top of the story. Obviously, we have a lot of interesting and important stuff coming. We're sending a reporter down to Minneapolis, hoping to get some good information from there. And we can do that because we have the support of our community, our readers, and our viewers. So if you appreciate this, if you want to help support journalism on the ground in Minneapolis and commentary and videos just like this, please do subscribe to the Bulwark and like and rate our content. It really. It really goes a long way. Thanks and have a great weekend. People talk to you later.

[C]

Forget everything you had planned for this weekend because you are sitting on your couch and winning from the comfort of your own home. I'm here with Spinquest where you can play hundreds of slot games, all the table games you love, and you could even win real cash prizes. New users $30 coin packs are on sale for [e-mail] SpinQuest is a free.

[A]

To play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[B]

If you're an H Vac technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.