All In with Chris Hayes DOJ sought criminal probe of Renee Good after her death
Jan 24, 2026
Michelle Goldberg, opinion columnist and panel analyst; Lydia Polgreen, journalist reporting on Minneapolis organizing; Carol Lennig, investigative reporter who co-wrote the Renee Good coverage. They dig into DOJ directions in the Renee Good probe, resignations inside the Civil Rights Division, mass Minneapolis protests and block-by-block organizing, and how recent policing tactics have mobilized local resistance.
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DOJ Pivoted Probe From Victim To Suspect
- The DOJ redirected a routine federal civil-rights probe into Renee Good's death toward investigating the deceased as a suspect.
- That pivot, ordered from Deputy AG Todd Blanche's aides, prompted resignations and deep internal protest.
Judge Rejected Warrant Because Victim Was Deceased
- Carol Lennig recounts that FBI agents sought a warrant to search Renee Good's car to reconstruct ballistics for a civil-rights inquiry.
- A magistrate judge rejected a later warrant framed to treat Good as a suspect, noting "she's dead."
Career Officials Resigned In Protest
- reporting names FBI supervisor Tracy Mergen as resigning over the case handling and mass arrests of protesters.
- Career officials across Main Justice, Civil Rights Division, and Minnesota prosecutors resigned in protest.
