Walz Criticized For Flip‑Flop After Praising Prosecutor He Urged Be Fired Last Week

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz faced sharp criticism after praising U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson following reports of Thompson's resignation — despite publicly urging his removal just one week earlier.

In a post on X responding to news that Thompson and other prosecutors had resigned, and citing a New York Times report that the departures were tied to disagreements with the Trump Justice Department, Walz wrote:

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson describes a sprawling fraud investigation involving state-run programs in Minnesota at a news conference Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Minneapolis. Thompson has reportedly resigned from the U.S. attorney's office in Minnesota.

"Joe is a principled public servant who spent more than a decade achieving justice for Minnesotans."

He added:

"This is a huge loss for our state. It’s also the latest sign Trump is pushing nonpartisan career professionals out of the justice department, replacing them with his sycophants."

The praise surprised many observers because, just days earlier at a press briefing, Walz had criticized Thompson after the U.S. attorney estimated Minnesota's fraud crisis could be as high as $9 billion. Walz said the public statements by Thompson amounted to speculation and called them defamatory:

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks to reporters after he announced that he would not seek re-election, at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 5, 2026.

"You saw a U.S. attorney stand up, which has been released, would have been let go by any other administration, speculating about things with no factual information. That's defamation, and that's coming from the U.S. attorney. We are under assault."

Conservative commentators and Republican officials quickly highlighted the apparent reversal. Commenters on social media reposted Walz's earlier remarks and questioned the governor's change in tone.

Thompson led the federal investigation into the Feeding Our Future food‑aid fraud, a case reported to involve roughly $250 million and that produced dozens of indictments and convictions. Reporters say the resignations were connected to policy and personnel disputes with the Justice Department.

The New York Times also noted Thompson's involvement in other high‑profile federal matters; some local reporting has tied the broader controversy to political and legal tensions in the state. The widening scandal over fraud and prosecutions was cited as a factor in Walz's decision not to seek a third term.

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz's office for comment. The outlet also cited contributions from reporter Louis Casiano in its coverage.