Doug Kelley, a former U.S. assistant attorney with Minnesota, said that the recent wave of resignations puts in the office in a precarious position.
“You've decapitated the leadership in the United States Attorney's Office Criminal Division,” Kelley said.
Kelley was appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 and served until 1985, finishing his work in the office with President Ronald Reagan. He said Minnesota stands out from other U.S. Attorney’s Offices as one of the most independent and non-political offices in the country.
“Tuesday's development, where six dedicated public servants feel the need to resign their positions abruptly,” Kelley said. “That's the darkest day in my 51 years of practicing law in this state.”
The cases these federal prosecutors were investigating included sex trafficking, gang prosecutions and social services fraud, which has been in the spotlight in recent weeks.
“These were the biggest cases in in the state, and the people with the expertise and knowledge are leaving,” Kelley said.
President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against federal officers. Kelley said despite that unrest between protestors and federal forces, the act requires more.
“And the terrible part about it is Trump, by sending in all of these agents, is the one who has generated this, which he's using as an excuse to say it's an insurrection,” Kelley said.
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