Pam Bondi puts Minnesota ‘on notice’ for ignoring order banning trans athletes from girls' and women’s sports

WASHINGTON – Minnesota quickly went on the radar of newly sworn in U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi after state leaders vowed to buck President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women’s sports.

Bondi warned Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison that the Department of Justice is prepared to sue states that do not comply with Trump’s order. But Ellison indicated he will not back down, arguing that compliance would violate state’s human rights protections.

“We defend and file lawsuits every day,” Ellison said in an interview. “So, her threatening to sue me, that doesn’t exactly concern me. It’s another day at the office for me.”

Minnesota Republicans appear to see an opening with Bondi heading the Justice Department for a broader legal push against Democrats in the state.

“We write to inform you of years of rampant unchecked fraud occurring in our state due to failed leadership by Governor Tim Walz, his agencies, and legislative Democrats. We also ask for your assistance to investigate the growing fraud in our state,” state House Republicans wrote in a letter to Bondi earlier this month.

Three of Minnesota’s Republicans in Congress also recently wrote to Bondi, asking her to investigate the results of the 2024 election in Scott County after election officials lost 20 absentee ballots in one precinct.

“I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t want to take a look at this,” Minnesota Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash said of the recent letters to Bondi.

A spokeswoman for Walz labeled the GOP letters to Bondi as “partisan stunts.”

“If they want to work with us to solve real problems, our door is always open,” spokeswoman Claire Lancaster said.

Lancaster specifically criticized Minnesota Republicans in the U.S. House, saying they “have stood silently by as President Trump let unelected billionaires take over the federal government to end cancer research, slash veterans benefits, and cut health care funding.”

So far, Minnesota Republicans have yet to hear back from Bondi or the DOJ, but they remain hopeful.

The DOJ did not respond to requests for comment on the recent letters or to elaborate on where it stands in the selection of the next Minnesota U.S. attorney.

“I think that if they think the law is being broken, they will make a determination and move forward with what they believe is the necessary corrective action or holding people accountable,” Rep. Pete Stauber said of the DOJ.

Stauber and GOP U.S. Reps. Brad Finstad and Michelle Fischbach have also pressed Bondi and Trump to quickly appoint a U.S. attorney for Minnesota following former U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger’s resignation.

“At some point we have to get the train back on track, which is why my congressional Republican colleagues and I have asked for President Trump and Attorney General Bondi to quickly appoint a U.S. Attorney for the Minnesota District,” Finstad said in a statement, adding he wants to “restore some much-needed transparency to the administration of public programs in our state.”

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, joined two other House colleagues in sending the recent letter asking Bondi to investigate fraud in state government programs. Their request came as the FBI investigates allegations of fraudulent Medicaid claims in Minnesota’s autism program and as defendants face trial on charges that the nonprofit Feeding Our Future and other organizations stole $250 million during the pandemic from a federally funded meals program for children.

Walz proposed a new package of fraud prevention measures in January.

Ellison said he’s concerned about the possibility of the Trump administration going after its political opponents.

If the DOJ targets Minnesota with investigations, Ellison said “it will clearly be political persecution. It will clearly be their friends in Washington weighing in on their side, so that they can weaponize the investigation for the next election.”

In response to Bondi’s warning. Ellison said that complying with Trump’s executive order on transgender athletes would violate Minnesota’s Human Rights Act.

Bondi opened her letter to Ellison by pointing out that the DOJ has already sued New York and Illinois over the states’ immigration laws. She sent similar warnings to Maine and California.

“I hope it does not come to this. The Department of Justice does not want to have to sue state entities, or seek termination of their federal funds,” Bondi’s letter continued. “We only want states and state entities to comply with the law. And federal law requires giving girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by ensuring that girls need to compete only with other girls, not with boys.”

The Minnesota State High School League requested a formal opinion from Ellison’s office after the Trump administration opened an investigation into the league, potentially putting the federal funding it receives in jeopardy.

Republican lawmakers in the state have also stepped up efforts on the issue.

A bill introduced by Rep. Peggy Scott, R-Andover, would allow only those assigned female at birth to participate in elementary and secondary school sports meant for women and girls.

The MSHSL has said it does not require schools to report transgender athletes because it would be a violation of data privacy laws.

Janet Moore, Jim Paulsen and Briana Bierschbach of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this report.