Bondi’s letter to Minnesota deserves scorn. But it’s also a warning we can’t ignore | Opinion

Florida woman Pam Bondi has really distinguished herself this time. The U.S. attorney general who famously botched the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files has written a letter to Minnesota’s governor — on Saturday, the same day nurse Alex Pretti was shot dead by immigration agents — in what can only be interpreted as an extortion attempt.

Bondi — a two-time Florida attorney general before President Trump tapped her to become the top law enforcement official in the country — is suggesting that Minnesota hand over its voter rolls as a condition for ending immigration operations that have resulted in the deaths of two people at the hands of ICE.

Bondi’s letter was as subtle as a sledgehammer. She said the state could “bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota” if it would just take a few “simple steps.” Then she spelled it out: turn over to the federal government records for food assistance and Medicaid, end pro-immigrant “sanctuary” policies and cough up voter data.

That’s one step away from a mob-style threat: Nice state you have there. Be a shame if anything happened to it.

Is Bondi trying, as she said in the letter, to “bring back law and order”? Or is her letter, as an attorney for the state said in court Monday, really nothing but a “ransom note”? Some important context to consider: There have been no claims of widespread voter fraud in Minnesota. And, critically, the Justice Department is in the middle of suing nearly two dozen states, including Minnesota, for their full, unredacted voter files, which apparently would include dates of birth, driver license numbers and partial social security numbers. That’s the same information Bondi asked for in her missive to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Reminder: We’re heading toward a midterm election in November in which Republicans increasingly seem to be in trouble. This effort by Bondi certainly sounds as though the government is using the continued threat of ICE enforcement in the state as leverage to access election information — and potentially use it to sow doubts ahead of the elections. That would on brand for Trump. He already tried overturning an election.

The food assistance and Medicaid information is a reference to allegations of fraud in Minnesota. Fine — investigate fraud. But it’s an odd request to include on the list of demands amid the turbulence in Minnesota. As Walz said in a press conference Sunday: ”This has nothing to do with fraud... They’re not sending us forensic accountants.”

He also said that Minnesota already cooperates with the federal government on handing over criminals in the state’s jails — apparently an explanation of the “sanctuary” reference by Bondi. And then he offered a “pro tip” to the attorney general: “There’s two million documents we’re still waiting on in the Epstein files. Go ahead and work on those.” Hard to argue with that.

In her letter, Bondi said the federal government needs access to Minnesota voter data “to confirm that Minnesota’s voter registration practices comply with federal law.” Last year, the feds began trying to compile a national list of voters, as Trump has continued to claim that undocumented immigrants are voting — another way to undermine voters’ perception of the election.

The turmoil and violence in Minnesota is a stain on the country that has now taken two lives. The shooting death of Pretti must be investigated, openly and transparently, and the videos released so far appear to show an officer removing his gun before he was shot 10 times. Those responsible must be held accountable, That’s something that both Republicans and Democrats should be able to agree on.

Using the threat of a continuing surge of ICE agents as a bargaining chip against Minneapolis is a new low for the Justice Department — and an attempt by Bondi to weaponize the agency. But if this is about Bondi setting the stage for a challenge to the election in November, at least now we are on notice.