Prof. Richard Painter Interviewed by WCCO News About Dismissal of Many Assault Charges From Operation Metro Surge

Professor Richard Painter, S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law, was interviewed by WCCO News about federal prosecutors continuing to dismiss charges initially brought against people for allegedly assaulting federal officers during Operation Metro Surge. A federal judge officially dismissed the charges for 15 of them, three are pending a judge’s approval after prosecutors filed motions to dismiss the charges, and at least 17 cases are still pending. Prof. Painter said that it’s clear to him that federal prosecutors brought several cases forward without sufficient evidence. He said, “It appears that the United States Attorney's Office in Minnesota is bringing some weak cases against protestors.” He added that he believes that there was pressure from the Trump administration to charge people.