An FBI agent based in Minneapolis, who sought to investigate the death of a 37-year-old woman fatally shot by a federal immigration officer earlier this month, has stepped down from her position.
According to a source acquainted with the matter, who spoke to NewsNation, which is affiliated with The Hill, agent Tracee Mergen has resigned from her role as a supervisor in the FBI’s Minneapolis field office due to pressure exerted by the bureau's leadership in Washington.
Mergen resigned from her position following pressure to halt an investigation into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Jonathan Ross, as reported by The New York Times, which was the first to disclose Mergen's departure.
“It is FBI policy not to comment on personnel matters,” the FBI told The Hill.
Mergen's exit from the FBI occurs after the Justice Department (DOJ) stated that it finds “no basis” for a civil rights inquiry regarding the fatal shooting of Renee Good.
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Uproar over Renee Good's killing
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: Georgia shooting: Why did Indian-origin man kill wife, 3 relatives? Here's how kids saved themselves
Uproar over Renee Good's killing
{{/usCountry}}Renee Good was tragically shot while inside her SUV on January 7 during an immigration operation in a neighborhood of Minneapolis. A private autopsy disclosed that Good sustained gunshot wounds to her left forearm, right breast, and head, with a fourth bullet grazing her body.
Senior officials from the Trump administration promptly defended the shooting as an act of self-defense, asserting that Good had tried to use her vehicle as a weapon in a domestic terrorism incident.
Democrats have largely contested this account, accusing the administration of dishonesty and demanding an independent investigation.
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All on FBI's ongoing firing
The removals are part of a continuous initiative spearheaded by FBI boss Director Kash Patel aimed at removing people associated with previous investigations, including those concerning Trump, and encompass high-ranking FBI officials in New Orleans, Miami, and other locations.
The latest series of expulsions follows months after Patel faced a lawsuit from three former senior FBI officials — including the former acting FBI director who was in office at the onset of Trump’s second term — who claim that Patel was ordered to dismiss agents involved in earlier Trump investigations or risk losing his own position.
During his confirmation hearing last January, Patel assured members of Congress that no personnel within the FBI “will be terminated for case assignments” and stated that he “will not … go backwards.”
“There will be no politicization at the FBI. There will be no retributive actions taken,” Patel asserted.