A day after U.S. District Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz denied the Department of Justice subpoenas targeting Minnesota Governor Walz (DFL) and other elected officials, saying they were politically motivated and without merit, Walz is taking action of his own.
Walz's office has filed 16 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with multiple federal agencies, seeking records, communications, and writings from the Trump Administration.
Walz says Minnesota has been subject to more than 100 federal demands, investigations, lawsuits, and threats to illegally withhold critical funding from the state. He is now alleging those actions amount to a coordinated campaign of retribution.
“For nearly a year, Minnesotans have lived through a coordinated campaign of retribution from the Trump Administration,” said Walz. “We have seen it in lawsuits, funding threats, and investigations from an administration looking to come after those who disagree with them. Yesterday, a judge confirmed what we have known all along. Today, we are taking steps to find out exactly how far this campaign reaches, who’s directing it, and what it has cost Minnesotans.”
The request from the governor's officer is looking for references made by the Trump administration to: “Minnesota”, “Walz”, “reckoning”, “retribution", “punish”, or “Democrat," made since January 20, 2025 when Mr. Trump's second term began.
Walz has previously stated that the Trump administration is targeting and "punishing" Minnesota for voting against Donald Trump three times. That includes in 2024 when Walz was the vice presidential candidate against Trump, as the running mate for Kamala Harris.
On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Schiltz blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to subpoena Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and other state officials, accusing the Justice Department of using its investigatory powers to retaliate against state officials for not cooperating with federal efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.
Schiltz found the “dominant purpose” of the subpoenas was to “coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration law and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so.”
He also called the DOJ investigation politically-motivated, unconstitutional, and without merit.
Requests include references to “Minnesota”, “Walz”, “reckoning”, “retribution", “punish”, or “Democrat” since January of last year
Requests include references to “Minnesota”, “Walz”, “reckoning”, “retribution", “punish”, or “Democrat” since January of last year
