California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused the Justice Department of a cover-up after four senior supervisors in the department’s Civil Rights Division resigned. This followed a dispute over whether federal prosecutors should investigate the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
The Governor Newsom Press Office account on X shared a report from MS NOW about the resignations. It linked the departures to decisions made by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, the Trump appointee leading the Civil Rights Division. The account stated, “Senior DOJ civil rights officials just quit because Harmeet Dhillon refused to investigate an ICE shooting. That’s not leadership. That’s a cover-up.”
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the departing officials were from the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, which typically handles investigations into alleged unlawful use of force by law enforcement. The officials included the section chief, the principal deputy chief, the deputy chief, and an acting deputy chief.
Sources cited by Reuters indicated that the decision to keep the Criminal Section out of the Minnesota case contributed to the resignations. There was also broader frustration regarding changing priorities and a department offer for early retirement.
Senior DOJ civil rights officials just quit because Harmeet Dhillon refused to investigate an ICE shooting.
That’s not leadership.
That’s a cover-up. pic.twitter.com/dj7O9RrFxU
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 13, 2026
A Justice Department official confirmed to Reuters that the leaders of the Criminal Section submitted their resignations and sought to take part in an early retirement program. However, the official stated that this decision occurred before the events in Minnesota. “Any suggestion to the contrary is false,” the official said.
CBS News reported separately that Civil Rights Division prosecutors were informed they would not be involved in the federal investigation into Good’s death, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Good, 37, was fatally shot during a federal enforcement action in Minneapolis last week. The FBI is investigating. The case has sparked protests and public debate over the circumstances of the shooting and the role of state and local officials in reviewing evidence.
The Guardian reported on Tuesday that career prosecutors had offered to review the shooting under federal civil rights laws but were turned down. The department’s focus then shifted to an inquiry led by the FBI.
Newsom’s public criticism intensified political scrutiny of Dhillon, who had been appointed to lead the Civil Rights Division after years as a conservative legal figure allied with Trump. The Los Angeles Times reported last year that Dhillon’s leadership faced complaints from Democratic lawmakers who claimed that the division’s priorities had shifted toward issues central to Trump’s agenda.
MS NOW noted that the resignations followed internal disagreements after Dhillon declined to initiate a federal criminal civil rights investigation into Good’s death. Reuters identified MS NOW as the outlet that first reported the resignations.
The White House and Justice Department have defended the ICE operation and stated that the shooting is under federal review. Meanwhile, Minnesota officials have continued to press for access to information and evidence.
Newsom did not provide any additional evidence in his post other than linking the resignations to the decision not to involve the Criminal Section. The Justice Department, in its statement to Reuters, denied that the departures were influenced by the Minnesota case.
