Doj Opens Probe After Left-wing Da Requires Prosecutors To Consider Race In Plea Deals

The Justice Department has opened a civilian authorities investigation into nan Minneapolis-area Hennepin County Attorney’s Office’s caller directive for its prosecutors to see title erstwhile negotiating plea deals pinch criminal defendants. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi, Acting Associate Attorney General Chad Mizelle and Assistant Attorney General of nan Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon informed Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty successful a missive that nan Justice Department is opening a probe into whether nan Hennepin County Attorney’s Office "engaged successful a shape of believe of depriving persons of rights, privileges aliases immunities secured aliases protect by nan Constitution aliases laws of nan United States." 

The letter, dated May 2, cited Moriarty’s precocious adopted "Negotiations Policy for Cases Involving Adult Defendants," which instructs prosecutors to see title erstwhile formulating plea offers, stating that "racial identity… should beryllium portion of nan wide analysis," and that prosecutors "should beryllium identifying and addressing group disparities astatine determination points, arsenic appropriate."  

"In particular, nan investigation will attraction connected whether HCAO engages successful forbidden information of title successful its prosecutorial decision-making," they said said successful nan letter, which Dhillon shared connected X.

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Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty discussed nan determination to disregard nan lawsuit against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan successful nan sidesplitting of Ricky Cobb II successful a property convention connected Monday, June 3, 2024. (Hennepin County Attorney's Office )

Bondi, Mizelle and Dhillon said their investigation will see "a broad reappraisal of each applicable HCAO policies and practices that whitethorn impact nan forbidden information of title successful prosecutorial decision-making." 

Dhillon has besides authorized a "full investigation to find whether nan HCAO is engaged successful a shape aliases believe of depriving persons of rights, privileges, aliases immunities secured aliases protected by nan Constitution aliases laws of nan United States." 

"Please beryllium assured that we person not reached immoderate conclusions astir nan taxable matter of nan investigation," their missive addressed to Moriarty said. "We will see each applicable information, and we invited your assistance successful helping to place what that mightiness be. We would admit your practice successful our investigation. In our years enforcing civilian authorities statutes involving authorities and section rule enforcement agencies, we person worked pinch jurisdictions of each sizes crossed nan federation to resoluteness investigations, usually without contested litigation."

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announces nan apprehension of pack members progressive successful 4 homicides, Friday, April 4, 2025, successful Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

 LEFT-WING DA FORCING PROSECUTORS TO CONSIDER 'RACIAL IDENTITY' IN PLEA DEALS

The missive said nan Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Sections will oversee nan investigation and will beryllium successful interaction pinch Moriarty "shortly to group up a mutually agreeable day and clip to talk nan parameters of this investigation, including nan scope of accusation that we will beryllium seeking from you." 

Fox News Digital reached retired to Moriarty's agency and nan DOJ for remark connected Sunday. 

Moriarty was elected among a activity of progressive territory attorneys who took agency pursuing nan decease of George Floyd successful Minneapolis and consequent Black Lives Matter protests and riots. She has been backed by groups tied to money from megadonor George Soros, 1 of nan astir salient backers of progressive issues successful nan United States.

The erstwhile main nationalist defender for nan county, Moriarty became nan Hennepin County Attorney successful January 2023 aft promising to present connected holding constabulary accountable successful nan organization wherever Floyd was killed. 

Harmeet Dhillon during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation proceeding connected Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Moriarty’s 2 contiguous predecessors had been successful agency for a mixed 31 years, and her promises of melodramatic changes had nan backing of nan authorities Democratic Party and organization leaders. Since then, however, Moriarty has faced fierce backlash, moreover among immoderate erstwhile supporters, arsenic critics questioned decisions to activity lighter sentences for convulsive crimes successful immoderate cases and to divert much group to programs alternatively than jail.

Police officers, section officials and immoderate progressive activists condemned Moriarty aft she charged a White authorities trooper pinch nan sidesplitting of a Black man past summer, only to later reverse people and driblet nan charges. Leaders of nan Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association had waged a high-profile run urging Tim Walz, nan state’s politician and erstwhile Democratic vice statesmanlike nominee, to reassign nan prosecution distant from Moriarty. 

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Last month, Republicans crossed nan North Star State condemned Moriarty for failing to complaint a Walz staffer who allegedly vandalized astatine slightest six Tesla vehicles. President Donald Trump's management has identified Tesla vandalism arsenic "domestic terrorism" and led a nationwide effort alongside nan Justice Department to clasp vandals accountable. 

Fox News Digital's Deirdre Heavy, Andrew Mark Miller and nan Associated Press contributed to this report.