Brad Finstad, a congressman representing Minnesota's First Congressional District, posted a message on Facebook praising President Donald Trump and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for reportedly starting a healthy dialogue. However, above the message was instructions, seemingly from the Trump administration, implying that the statement was written by the White House.
The post included a screenshot of a post from Donald Trump's Truth Social revealing that in the wake of unrest in Minneapolis due to the controversial ICE operations there, both Trump and Walz had a respectful and understanding regarding further steps to address the controversy. "Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength," the statement began.
The post, now edited to include the statement only, reads, "Thank you, President Trump and Governor Walz. I am pleased to see these recent developments. The only way to a resolution is through productive conversations. Public safety shouldn't be partisan, and cooperation is how we deliver real results for our communities. Real leadership means putting law and order above politics."
However, the original post, which can still be seen through Facebook's feature that allows users to see a post's edit history, includes an instructional paragraph that says, "Hi Brad. I am sending you a post on socials regarding the trump walz conversation, this has been approved by staff. Will be using the picture attached and caption for all three platforms.
Caption:."
While Congressman Finstad has not yet commented on the error, many were quick to point it out. His opponent in the race to represent Minnesota's First Congressional District, Jake Johnson, posted a screenshot of it on social media, writing, "Imagine being a congressman from Minnesota and caring so little about what's happening here that you just copy and paste talking points. If you're not writing your own statements and you're not holding town halls, what exactly are we paying you for?"
Imagine being a congressman from Minnesota and caring so little about what’s happening here that you just copy and paste talking points.
— Jake Johnson (@JakeJohnsonMN) January 26, 2026
If you’re not writing your own statements and you’re not holding town halls, what exactly are we paying you for? pic.twitter.com/dwdSlsLWaB
The controversy comes as the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by ICE officers rock Finstad's home state. Widespread criticism and unrest followed their deaths and the implementation of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, an ongoing action by the Trump administration to apprehend undocumented immigrants and deport them from the United States.
The president himself has alleged widespread crime and fraud in Minnesota by the large Somali population there, and the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis became the first targets of Metro Surge. However, in the wake of Pretti and Good's deaths, the Trump administrations has seemingly softened their rhetoric, and reportedly firing Gregory Bovino, the commander-at-large of the U.S. Border Patrol, who appeared at ICE operations across the country.
