At a Thursday press conference, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced that her office had issued a nationwide arrest warrant for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of pointing a gun at two motorists on a Minneapolis highway during Operation Metro Surge. Gregory Morgan Jr. of Temple Hills, Maryland, faces two counts of second-degree assault in the Feb. 5 incident.
CBS News reported:
[T]he two victims were driving east on Highway 62 on the Interstate 35W interchange, when Morgan approached from behind in an unmarked black Ford Expedition. Charges say he was driving illegally on the right shoulder when the victim in the other car said they moved in front of him to “cut him off.”The victim then moved back to the traffic lane and Morgan pulled up beside them, pointing a black handgun at the two occupants of the car, charges say. The occupants, not realizing that Morgan was an ICE agent, called 911.The two victims shared video of the incident to the Minnesota State Patrol, which tracked the Utah license plate of the Ford Expedition. It had been rented out to Morgan’s partner, who was in the back seat of the car at the time of the incident, documents say.In a voluntary interview, Morgan said he was “conducting surveillance on behalf of ICE” and said he feared for his safety when he was cut off on the highway. He said he drew his firearm and yelled “Police Stop,” then drove back to the Whipple Federal Building near Fort Snelling.
Moriarty told reporters, “Today’s charges reflect an important milestone in our effort to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge.”
“Driving while pointing a weapon out of your moving vehicle at the victims who are in another moving vehicle could have led to yet another disastrous incident in a community that has already suffered too many,” she said.
She called Morgan’s actions “extremely dangerous” and “well beyond the scope of his authority as a law enforcement agent.”
Asked about the so-called “victims” cutting Morgan off, Moriarty said it was not advisable, noting that at most it might qualify as a petty misdemeanor, but emphasized that her focus remains on the ICE agent’s conduct. Naturally.
According to the charging documents, Morgan was charged by warrant because “there is a substantial likelihood that [he] will fail to respond to a summons and because his present location is not reasonably discoverable.”
According to the New York Times, it is extremely unusual for a state government to arrest a federal law enforcement officer for on-duty actions.
State prosecutors face formidable practical and legal obstacles in pursuing criminal charges against federal agents. Federal agents also have broad immunity from prosecution in state court for on-duty conduct. State officials also say the federal government has refused to provide local investigators with basic information, including the names of agents, in many cases.
Finally, a word about the prosecutor herself is in order. The uber progressive Moriarty is a Soros-backed attorney who was elected to her position in 2022. Her tenure has been marked by recurring controversy, with critics contending that her prosecutorial approach reflects uneven standards shaped by political alignment. Her charging decisions appear to be influenced more by ideology than by the consistent application of the law.
She has developed a reputation for being soft on crime — that is for those with the right political affiliations. For example, she came under heavy fire last year for refusing to file criminal charges against a defendant, a Democratic Minnesota state employee, who was caught on camera causing more than $20,000 in damages to Teslas.
An X user emphasizes Moriarty’s prosecutorial bias in the post below:
This case will likely spark a major legal showdown between the federal government and Minnesota state officials. Moreover, Moriarty indicated that it’s just one of “18 incidents involving federal agents now under investigation by her office.”
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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