HCAO statement on U.S. Department of Justice caving on “investigation” into office policy

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office released the following statement, from Daniel Borgertpoepping, HCAO spokesperson:

"The Department of Justice never had authority to investigate this office. It was always a stunt, and their depleted “Civil Rights” division’s best strategy was to announce an investigation, grab headlines, then close the investigation and claim victory.

This was a political attack from the beginning. Their lawyers committed to defending actual civil rights have left.

Our policy was always constitutional. The update makes it clear that racial bias and disparities have harmed our community for generations and we will take action to address them.

Meanwhile, we’ll continue protecting our community from federal overreach and prosecuting real crime while they spend their time tweeting."

Relevant policy language:

Hennepin County has a documented history of racial disparities in its criminal legal system, and the existence and perception of those disparities harm our community, lead to distrust, and have a negative impact on community safety. Accordingly, the HCAO will be “proactive in efforts to detect, investigate and eliminate improper biases” in its work, and prosecutors must be aware of and actively seek to eliminate bias, including race-based bias, in their decision making in each case. See ABA Criminal Justice Standard 3-1.6 (Improper Bias Prohibited).

HCAO letter to U.S. Department of Justice on 2/13/2026