Booker Joins Welch, Every Senate Judiciary Democrat in Call to Open Civil Rights Investigation into Death of Renee Good

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, along with every Senate Judiciary Democrat in sending a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) urging the Department to heed the calls of career prosecutors and open a civil rights investigation into the death of Ms. Renee Good, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis earlier this month. In their letter to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, the Senators emphasize that DOJ's decision not to investigate Ms. Good's killing represents a pattern of the Department's dereliction of its duty to enforce civil rights laws in favor of carrying out President Trump's political agenda.

The Senators' letter comes as Assistant Attorney General Dhillon announced that DOJ's Civil Rights Division would not investigate Ms. Good's killing, reportedly overruling the recommendation of career prosecutors that an investigation be opened. Several senior attorneys reportedly resigned over the decision, which departs from the Civil Rights Division's longstanding practice of investigating potential civil rights violations after such incidents. The letter was sent before U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on January 24.

Joining U.S. Senators Booker and Welch on the letter to Assistant Attorney General Dhillon are Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Adam Schiff (D-CA).

"Your decision not to investigate the ICE agent's conduct is a marked departure from past administrations of both parties, which historically have taken swift action to open civil rights reviews of many fatal interactions with law enforcement. These investigations have been conducted even when criminal charges were considered unlikely," wrote the Senators. "After you informed Division personnel that you would not consider opening an investigation into whether the ICE agent violated federal law, several career prosecutors -including the head of the Criminal Section, which is responsible for these investigations-accelerated planned departures from the Division."

According to public reporting, multiple career prosecutors in the Civil Rights Division offered to lead an inquiry into the shooting, which at the federal level is usually led by the Division's Criminal Section. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, second-in command at the Department of Justice, reinforced Assistant AG Dhillon's decision to take an investigation off the table when he publicly claimed there was "no basis" for a civil rights probe into Ms. Good's death. Deputy AG Blanche's assertion is contradicted by an FBI agent's determination-after an initial review-that sufficient grounds existed to open a civil rights investigation into the ICE agent who shot Ms. Good.

"Instead of investigating Ms. Good's killing, DOJ has announced the U.S. Attorney's office in Minnesota would investigate alleged connections between Ms. Good and her widow and groups that have been monitoring ICE activity in Minneapolis. DOJ ordered federal agents to conduct its investigation without Minnesota's local authorities," the Senators continued. "Refusing to share investigative materials or permit a joint investigation is highly unusual. Six lawyers from the U.S. Attorney's office in Minnesota have also resigned in protest of this investigation."

The Senators conclude: "Your decision not to investigate Ms. Good's killing reflects a trend in the Division under your leadership of ignoring the enforcement of civil rights laws in favor of carrying out President Trump's political agenda. This trend, combined with apparent political interference in investigative and prosecutorial decisions, undermines public trust, the legitimacy of our institutions, and the rule of law. We urge you to listen to career prosecutors and open a civil rights investigation into the death of Ms. Good."

To read the full letter, click here.