The Democratic-aligned campaign support groups and progressive nonprofits backed Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty who charged ICE officer with more than $286,000 during her 2022 election campaign, according to campaign finance filings cited in recent reporting.
According to a Washington Examiner report on Sunday, April 19th, Moriarty charged Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. with two counts of second-degree assault.
She received more than $286,000 from far-left political groups and dark-money nonprofits for her 2022 campaign, according to campaign finance filings reviewed by the Washington Examiner.
Funding from Progressive Organizations
Moriarty ran as a nonpartisan candidate in 2022. State campaign finance records show her campaign received support from progressive-aligned organizations.
TakeAction Minnesota spent about $231,000 to support Moriarty through independent expenditures. The money came entirely from in-kind contributions from its affiliated 501(c)(4) nonprofit, which does not disclose its donors.
Faith in Minnesota reported roughly $26,000 in spending supporting Moriarty. A separate affiliated fund reported another $29,000. The total from those three entities reached around $286,000.
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The spending covered digital advertising, canvassing operations, and campaign staffing, according to filings submitted to the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board. The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund said donations from such groups to Moriarty may exceed $500,000.
Open Society Foundation, linked to George Soros’s philanthropy, gave grants to the progressive groups that funded her campaign.
The Highway Incident
Moriarty announced the charges on Thursday. The case stems from a Feb. 5 incident on a highway in the Minneapolis area. Morgan, 35, drove an unmarked SUV. He pulled alongside another vehicle and pointed his service weapon at the driver and passenger, according to local prosecutors.
The occupants told authorities they feared they were being targeted by a crazy person. They did not realize he was law enforcement.
Morgan told investigators the other vehicle cut him off. He said he feared for his safety and identified himself as police. The occupants said they could not hear him.
A nationwide warrant was issued for Morgan’s arrest. He had not turned himself in as of Thursday afternoon, ABC News reported. Each count carries up to seven years in prison if he is convicted.
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Moriarty defended the charges. She said federal agents do not have blanket immunity when acting outside their authority. “For a federal agent, our opinion is that illegally driving on the shoulder, pulling up to a car and pointing a gun at the heads of two community members who are not doing anything at the time is well beyond the scope of their authority,” she said.
Why This Matters
The charges mark a rare local criminal case against a federal immigration officer. They come amid a broader clash between the Trump administration and Minnesota officials over immigration enforcement.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has warned that the Justice Department could investigate or prosecute state officials who pursue charges against federal agents tied to their duties. It is not immediately clear whether the Trump administration will take any decisive action over the arrest.
Moriarty’s office is no stranger to confrontation with the Trump administration. Last May, the DOJ opened a civil rights investigation into the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in light of a directive for its prosecutors to consider race when negotiating plea deals with criminal defendants.
