The state of Minnesota filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing federal law enforcement agencies of withholding evidence related to three shootings, including the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleged that attempts by state officials to gather information and evidence on the shootings have been shut down by the administration, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“Principles of federalism do not permit the federal government to withhold investigative evidence for the purpose of shielding law enforcement officers from scrutiny where a State is investigating serious potential violations of its criminal laws, targeting its citizens, within its borders,” the petition reads.
The lawsuit accused the administration of withholding information to protect its law enforcement agencies from scrutiny.
The federal government is not allowed to “withhold investigative evidence for the purpose of shielding law enforcement officers from scrutiny where a State is investigating serious potential violations of its criminal laws, targeting its citizens, within its borders,” it said.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration sent thousands of officers to Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of an immigration crackdown, dubbed Operation Metro Surge.
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The operation sparked national outrage, which the petition highlights: the killing of Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis on Jan. 14, and the killing of Pretti on Jan. 24.
Both former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and recently confirmed Markwayne Mullin referred questions from Congress about the investigations of the shootings to the department itself. In January, the DOJ said it opened a civil investigation into the shooting of Pretti, but not Good.
