- United States
- Wash.
- Letter
Demand for an Impeachment Inquiry into DOJ Civil Rights Division Leadership
To: Sen. Cantwell, Sen. Murray, Rep. Randall
From: A verified voter in Tacoma, WA
January 13
You swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath requires action when executive officials abuse their authority or abandon their constitutional duties. I am writing to demand that Congress immediately open a formal impeachment inquiry into Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, based on credible evidence of dereliction of duty and obstruction of civil rights enforcement. On January 7, 2026, federal immigration agents shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, on a residential street in Minneapolis. Video evidence shows the vehicle moving away, no officer being struck, and a self-identified physician being blocked from rendering emergency medical aid while Ms. Good sat wounded in her car. On January 9, 2026, CBS News reported that the DOJ Civil Rights Division refused to investigate the killing at all. According to that reporting, leadership within the division informed career prosecutors in the Criminal Section—the unit specifically tasked with investigating law enforcement misconduct—that they would not participate in the investigation. Multiple prosecutors reportedly offered to travel to the scene, consistent with standard DOJ practice in fatal use-of-force cases, and were explicitly told not to do so. The Department of Justice has declined to provide any public explanation. This decision represents a stark and unexplained departure from the Civil Rights Division’s longstanding mandate and practice. The division has historically investigated and prosecuted fatal law enforcement misconduct, including high-profile cases involving local, state, and federal officers. Declining to investigate the killing of a U.S. citizen by a federal agent—without explanation—raises grave concerns about selective non-enforcement of federal civil rights laws. As head of the Civil Rights Division, Ms. Dhillon bears ultimate responsibility for its enforcement decisions. If she directed, approved, or knowingly permitted the refusal to investigate this killing, that conduct may constitute an abuse of power and a failure to faithfully execute the laws of the United States. If political considerations, favoritism toward federal agents, or hostility to civil rights enforcement played any role, Congress has a constitutional obligation to uncover that fact. Impeachment inquiries exist precisely for circumstances like this—when credible evidence suggests that an executive official may have placed themselves above the law or undermined constitutional protections. Accordingly, I urge Congress to: • Open a formal impeachment inquiry into Harmeet Dhillon’s conduct as head of the DOJ Civil Rights Division • Subpoena all internal communications, memoranda, and directives related to the decision not to investigate the killing of Renee Good • Take sworn testimony from Civil Rights Division leadership and career prosecutors in the Criminal Section • Require a written legal justification for declining investigation in this case • Determine whether civil rights laws are being selectively enforced or deliberately ignored This request does not presume guilt. It demands accountability, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law. No official—regardless of ideology, position, or political allegiance—is entitled to immunity from oversight when a U.S. citizen is killed by federal agents and the agency charged with protecting civil rights refuses to act. The Constitution does not enforce itself. Congress must. I urge you to act without delay.
Write to Maria Cantwell or any of your elected officials
Or text write to 50409
Resistbot is a chatbot that delivers your texts to your elected officials by email, fax, or postal mail. Tap above to give it a try or learn more here!