Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz has been warned by Attorney General Pam Bondi that the Trump administration is seeking to "ransom" Minneapolis's freedom from an increasingly volatile federal presence. The letter, sent over the weekend, proposes two demands: share Minnesota's voter rolls and Medicaid data with the Trump administration, as well as repeal sanctuary policies in the state.
The move comes amid growing tensions between the city and federal immigration agents, who have been accused of excessive force and misconduct. In recent weeks, there have been reports of out-of-control conduct by federal agents, including a killing that has pushed the community to new heights of frustration.
Critics are warning that Bondi's letter represents a worrying trend in politicization of the Department of Justice (DOJ), with potential consequences for the midterm elections. The letter's demands tie voter data sharing to the Trump administration's Minneapolis crackdown, an alarming development given the DOJ's previous history of suing states over their voter rolls.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon has expressed concern about this trend, saying he is "planning for" direct federal interference with elections despite not predicting it. Meanwhile, a federal district court judge asked if the administration was trying to achieve its goals through force that couldn't be achieved through the courts.
As tensions in Minneapolis continue to escalate, the demands made by Bondi raise concerns about the Trump administration's intentions and the potential impact on the state's autonomy.
The move comes amid growing tensions between the city and federal immigration agents, who have been accused of excessive force and misconduct. In recent weeks, there have been reports of out-of-control conduct by federal agents, including a killing that has pushed the community to new heights of frustration.
Critics are warning that Bondi's letter represents a worrying trend in politicization of the Department of Justice (DOJ), with potential consequences for the midterm elections. The letter's demands tie voter data sharing to the Trump administration's Minneapolis crackdown, an alarming development given the DOJ's previous history of suing states over their voter rolls.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon has expressed concern about this trend, saying he is "planning for" direct federal interference with elections despite not predicting it. Meanwhile, a federal district court judge asked if the administration was trying to achieve its goals through force that couldn't be achieved through the courts.
As tensions in Minneapolis continue to escalate, the demands made by Bondi raise concerns about the Trump administration's intentions and the potential impact on the state's autonomy.
this is getting out of hand... i mean what's next? them just gonna start asking for our social media info too? 
it's already bad enough that they wanna know who's voting in minnesota, now they're threatening to take away our right to decide how we govern ourselves if we don't comply? 
no way, man...
I'm from Minnesota and if that happens we'll have no choice but to fight back. It's like they think we're just gonna roll over and let them take away our elections too? 
Newsflash: NOPE. We need to stand up for ourselves and our rights. This is not what America is supposed to be about! 
the fact that federal agents are accused of excessive force and misconduct doesn't help either. i feel bad for the people in minnesota being put on notice like this. it's not exactly what you'd call "states rights"... more like "trump says do what i want or else" 
I'm getting super uncomfortable with this whole situation... it sounds like the Trump admin is trying to strong-arm Minnesota into sharing sensitive info and rolling back some of its own policies, all under the guise of "freedom" 
The fact that they're trying to tie this to voter rolls is just sketchy... it's like they think we won't notice if our info gets shared around willy-nilly 
. This whole thing reeks of a power grab, and it's got me worried about the future of our democracy 
.
. It's not just about sharing voter rolls and Medicaid data, it's about the precedent being set for how the DOJ operates in states with sanctuary policies.
. The fact that Bondi is making these demands directly tied to the Trump administration's Minneapolis crackdown raises serious concerns about the state's autonomy and the erosion of trust between local governments and federal agencies.
. I'm not sure what's more concerning – the direct interference with elections or the fact that we're already seeing a federal government trying to use force to achieve its goals when diplomacy and the courts wouldn't work 
Politicians are like chameleons - they change color when it suits them 
The fact that Pam Bondi is threatening Minnesota with federal interference just to get what she wants from the Trump admin is super shady 
. I'm not buying it. let's keep an eye on how this plays out, but for now, i'm skeptical about all the drama surrounding it 
️. I mean, who does the AG think she is? Threatening the state with "ransom" just to get what they want. It's like, come on... share some data and you'll be happy? Repeal sanctuary policies and we're good? No way. The fact that she's tying voter roll sharing to the Minneapolis crackdown is just a total power play 
. And can we talk about how politicized the DOJ has become? It's getting ridiculous 
. I'm not sure what kind of games they think they can play here, but Minnesotans aren't going to stand for it. We've got enough on our plates without some AG trying to strong-arm us into giving them everything they want 
.