Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is again raising questions when it comes to how Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is going about prosecuting Minnesota State trooper Ryan Londregan.
Londregan, charged with second degree murder for shooting and killing Rick Cobb II during a traffic stop last summer, appeared in court Monday morning where Hennepin County Judge Tamara Garcia denied a motion to dismiss criminal charges.
On Tuesday, the Hennepin County Board approved Moriarty's request to hire outside attorneys using the office's budget. Four former federal prosecutors are now tasked with Londregan's prosecution.
"A request could have been made to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for help," Governor Tim Walz said on Wednesday. "A request could have been made to Ramsey County for help. A request could have been made to anyone. That is a normal procedure, to ask. Those requests were not made."
Moriarty told the board on Tuesday that her office's adult prosecution division is about ten attorneys short and using her attorneys on Londregan's case would hurt their ability to prosecute other violent crimes in Hennepin County.
"It seems to me, a well-funded and robust office like the Hennepin County D-A should be able to handle this case," added Walz.
Londregan's case has gained widespread attention. Hundreds of people supporting Londregan made their voices heard at the Hennepin County Courthouse on Monday.
They were confronted by Cobb's family and supporters following the hearing.
"I want to thank all of these people for showing up," Londregan's attorney, Chris Madel said as he found himself in the middle of the boisterous crowd. "They're showing that the rule of law matters more than what this sort of nonsense matters."
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association taking to social media to heap more criticism on Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty for hiring outside counsel to prosecute state trooper Ryan Londregan.
"The Hennepin County Attorney's Office is the biggest public law firm in our state," says attorney Stepehn Foertsch. "They have 200 attorneys, they have millions of dollars in budget, they prosecute the most violent, the most dangerous people we have in Minnesota. We're talking about child molesters. We're talking about rapists. We're talking about murderers. But those attorneys are not enough to prosecute our trooper."
As for consulting Ellison's office, Moriarty told the Hennepin County Board the Attorney General's Office would face a conflict of interest taking over the case because his office represents the state in a federal lawsuit filed by Cobb's family, alleging his civil rights were violated.
"We're watching this really carefully," Walz said. "I don't think this was a positive development."