January is a tough month for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Not only did the fraud scandal that occurred under his watch go nuclear, but he was also forced to drop his reelection bid. The Justice Department has opened an investigation into Walz, too, and he's scheduled to appear before Congress next month to testify about the fraud.
Now Walz is being slammed again, this time for flip-flopping on his position concerning U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson. Thompson was one of several DOJ attorneys who reportedly resigned over the ICE shooting in Minneapolis. The DOJ says that's not true, and that "three people applied for early retirement the day before the shooting," and the fourth put in for retirement back in December, according to the Daily Wire.
One of the prosecutors who resigned is Joe Thompson, the second-in-command at the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota. Thompson oversaw the state's massive fraud investigation.
On January 6, the day before the Minneapolis shooting, Tim Walz made it clear he was not a fan of Thompson and said the prosecutor should be "let go."
BREAKING: Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who dropped his bid for reelection yesterday, appears to suggest that Joe Thompson, the top fraud prosecutor in the state, should be "let go."
— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) January 6, 2026
"You saw a US attorney stand up, which has been released by ... would have been let go by… pic.twitter.com/yfjY1S1rZt
"You saw a US attorney stand up, which has been released by ... would have been let go by any other administration speculating about things with no factual information," Walz said. "That's defamation, and that's coming from the U.S. attorney. We are under assault like no other time in our state's history."
But now that Thompson has resigned, Walz is singing a different tune about the guy he wanted fired a week ago.
"Joe is a principled public servant who spent more than a decade achieving justice for Minnesotans. This is a huge loss for our state," Walz wrote on X. "It’s also the latest sign Trump is pushing nonpartisan career professionals out of the justice department, replacing them with his sycophants."
Joe is a principled public servant who spent more than a decade achieving justice for Minnesotans. This is a huge loss for our state.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 13, 2026
It’s also the latest sign Trump is pushing nonpartisan career professionals out of the justice department, replacing them with his sycophants.
X users were quick to remind Walz that he accused Thompson of defamation a week ago.
Dustin Grage called Walz's sudden change of heart "fascinating."
Here’s Tim Walz calling for Joe Thompson to be fired… *checks notes* …last week.
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) January 13, 2026
Fascinating. https://t.co/758GqKIGOk pic.twitter.com/aUFIDfQ9tQ
"Walz accused Joe Thompson of defamation last week and called for him to be fired because of the work Thompson had done in uncovering the massive amounts of fraud going on in Waltz’s Minnesota," wrote one X user.
Walz accused Joe Thompson of defamation last week and called for him to be fired because of the work Thompson had done in uncovering the
— Enguerrand VII de Coucy (@ingelramdecoucy) January 13, 2026
massive amounts of fraud going on in Waltz’s Minnesota https://t.co/yBeLAAnkl4
"What a fraud," wrote former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. "Look at what he said about the same guy a week ago."
What a fraud! Look at what he said about the same guy a week ago: https://t.co/J0SkblzqwZ pic.twitter.com/AvSrR996gr
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) January 14, 2026
So which is it? Is Thompson someone who committed defamation and was so bad at his job he should've been "let go," or is he a "principled public servant"? Walz can't have it both ways, even if he wants to — and he only wants to because he thinks this flip-flop will help him attack President Trump.
Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the truth about corrupt politicians like Tim Walz.
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