Legal expert details 'next steps' after 'mass resignation' at DOJ over Minnesota demands

Legal analyst Elie Honig told CNN that after the mass resignation from the Justice Department's U.S. Attorney's Office in the Minnesota District, there could be some challenges with upcoming cases.

The New York Times confirmed on Tuesday that six prosecutors resigned, three of whom worked in the Minnesota District, after being told to target the partner of Renee Nicole Good.

Honig explained that these kinds of resignations are an example of the prosecutors "trying to tell us something" and "waving a flag" with their resignations.

"You do not see that happen. It's very rare before this administration came in, for career prosecutors, nonpartisan career prosecutors to resign in protest over something," he said. "And let me be clear about what is and is not relevant to this fatal shooting investigation: The actions and movements movements of Renee Good on that day, on that street, what she did immediately before the shooting, the way she moved her car backwards, forwards, all of that is very relevant in minute detail."

What is not relevant, however, are any of "her activities before that day, who she may have associated with [and] what her views towards ICE were." He went on to call them inappropriate to the case.

"They have nothing whatsoever to do with whether that shooting was justified justified or not," said Honig. "And so if that's the reason why these career prosecutors have resigned, then they are well supported in doing that, and I applaud them if that's the reason why."

CNN host Boris Sanchez asked what the next step is and whether the Trump administration would simply find someone else willing to "do their bidding."

Honig reiterated how rare it is for career prosecutors to resign, particularly those who've been there for a decade or more.

"These are people who've served across Republican and Democratic administrations alike," Honig said. "Many of these folks, including Mr. Thompson, served throughout the entire first Trump administration. So, it's really telling us something unusual when you see a mass resignation like this. What happens next is, somebody else gets put on the case."

The challenge, he said, is that it remains to be seen if it will be someone who is overtly partisan or who has any experience.

"The whole beauty of DOJ is that you have this very large pool of people who've been there for a long time, who have experience, who are not politically motivated, who can handle sensitive investigations like this. And when they resign, you're going to get replacements, and you may well get people who are less experienced and less impartial. And the results may show that," he closed.