After summer in spotlight, what’s next for Minnesota’s former acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson?

For many Minnesotans, Joe Thompson was the face addressing some of the summer’s most turbulent events.

He was long known locally for leading the prosecution in the $250 million Feeding Our Future federal case — one of the largest pandemic-related fraud investigations in the country. But just two weeks after being named the state’s temporary top federal prosecutor, he stood at a podium and revealed harrowing allegations in the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their families that led to the largest manhunt in state history.

Thompson had the state’s attention three more times this summer — whether he was announcing indictments in another massive fraud scheme bilking a Minnesota housing program or flanking Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara during an emotional news conference after the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church that killed two schoolchildren and injured 28 others.

His temporary term as Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney came to a close mid-October when the U.S. Senate confirmed Daniel Rosen as the state’s top federal prosecutor.

For now, Thompson remains in the office, continuing to prosecute fraud cases that have become a political flash point as next year’s midterm elections approach, amid rumors that he’s eyeing private practice or public office.

“I knew it was a temporary position and at some point they would confirm my replacement and when that happens, I’m gonna wake up the next day and figure out what to do with the rest of my life whether it’s in the office, outside the office, we’ll see,” he told the Minnesota Star Tribune in his final days as acting U.S. Attorney.

The change in leadership came amid an ongoing federal government shutdown, which has made the U.S. Attorney’s Office unavailable for comment.

In Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar served two terms as Hennepin County Attorney before she was elected to the Senate in 2006, while former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman was a prosecutor in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Last year, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Teirab unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Angie Craig for her congressional seat.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani gained national attention in the 1980s for prosecuting Wall Street insider traders. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie built a reputation for prosecuting corruption in the state, which gave him a platform to win statewide election. Several current and former members of Congress previously served as prosecutors, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Sen. Adam Schiff of California and former Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado.

Thompson’s tenure shows similarities, noted David Schultz, professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University. He pointed to the high-profile work on the Feeding Our Future case — which was rocked by a juror bribery attempt at the close of one of the trials — as well as his public persona. His career, which includes a stint as a white-collar federal prosecutor in Chicago, could easily be parlayed into a political run, Schultz said.

“Whether he chooses to pursue public office is entirely up to him,” he said. “However, his prosecutorial record gives him the opportunity to take a political leap if he wants.”

Another high-profile case arrived for Thompson shortly after the first wave of indictments in the Feeding Our Future case. As prosecutors prepared for the trials of the freshly charged defendants, Robert Hur, special counsel appointed by the attorney general, called the U.S. Attorney’s Office to relay that Thompson had been tapped to join a team investigating then-President Joe Biden’s handling of classified materials.

Luger said he and Thompson worked out a plan: Thompson would work on the special counsel team during the day and on weekends, flying back and forth from Minnesota to Washington, D.C., and continue investigating Feeding Our Future at night.

“I would roll over at 3:30 in the morning to get a glass of water and there would be an email from Joe Thompson saying, ‘Here’s some things we’re looking at that I need you to be aware of,’ ” Luger said. “He did those two very, very difficult jobs absolutely perfectly.”

Luger said the pressures of juggling those two roles, on top of Thompson’s career before that, laid the groundwork for handling what became one of the most tumultuous summers in Minnesota’s history.