Congressional Republicans call on Tim Walz to testify on Minnesota fraud scandal

Congressional Republicans connected Wednesday called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to attest amid an ongoing societal services fraud scandal, arsenic the White House signaled it could grow its investigations into different bluish states.

A time aft the Trump medication said it would frost hundreds of millions of dollars of kid attraction funds to Minnesota, House Oversight and Government Reform Chair James Comer, R-Ky., invited Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to look earlier the sheet connected Feb. 10. 

"Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison person either been dormant astatine the instrumentality oregon complicit successful a monolithic fraud involving payer dollars successful Minnesota's societal services programs," Comer said successful a Wednesday statement.

An earlier hearing, slated for Jan. 7, volition diagnostic Minnesota authorities officials who sounded the alarm oregon investigated the fraud.

"American taxpayers request and merit accountability for the theft of their hard-earned money," helium continued.

Walz, who took bureau successful 2019, has travel nether occurrence successful caller months implicit fraud scams that occurred during his administration. He has precocious faced calls to resign. The scandals day backmost respective years and whitethorn person outgo taxpayers billions of dollars, according to prosecutors.

Republicans, including President Donald Trump, person seized connected reports of fraud to people Walz and different Democratic leaders, arsenic good arsenic Somalis surviving successful Minnesota.

Also connected Wednesday, White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said during an appearance connected "Fox & Friends" that different states could beryllium adjacent and that Trump was connected committee with revoking the citizenship of implicated Somali-Americans.

"Minnesota is the apical of the list, but we cognize determination has been monolithic fraud successful bluish states crossed this country. Look astatine California. Look astatine New York. These states volition each beryllium nether probe and information arsenic acold arsenic this medication is concerned," Leavitt said.

"Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused by radical that came into our Country, illegally, from Somalia," Trump said Wednesday successful a Truth Social post successful which helium besides attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat and the archetypal Somali-American to service successful Congress. Trump called Omar "an ungrateful loser."

"Lowlifes similar this tin lone beryllium a liability to our Country's greatness. Send them backmost from wherever they came, Somalia, possibly the worst, and astir corrupt, state connected earth," Trump said. He besides called Walz a "crooked governor."

Walz, who ran connected the Democratic summons with Kamala Harris successful 2024, did not respond to a petition for remark connected Wednesday. 

"This is Trump's agelong game. We've spent years cracking down connected fraudsters. It's a superior contented - but this has been his program each along. He's politicizing the contented to defund programs that assistance Minnesotans," Walz posted connected X connected Tuesday.

The freezing of kid attraction money, arsenic good arsenic FBI Director Kash Patel's Sunday announcement of a surge of national agents to the state, followed a viral video posted implicit the play by a blimpish influencer that purported to amusement non-operational childcare facilities that received national funds. 

The video brought renewed attraction to long-simmering allegations of fraud that person raised questions astir Walz's enactment and led to the targeting of Minnesota's ample Somali assemblage for its alleged relation successful assorted schemes.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill and Assistant Secretary Alex Adams announced the backing frost successful a post to X connected Tuesday. O'Neill besides announced a nationwide verification strategy to authorize kid attraction payments, demanded that Walz analyse individuals suspected of fraud and announced a fraud-reporting hotline.

"We judge the authorities of Minnesota has allowed scammers and fake daycares to siphon millions of payer dollars implicit the past decade," O'Neill said.

"Funds volition beryllium released lone erstwhile states beryllium they are being spent legitimately," O'Neill wrote successful a subsequent post.

Vice President JD Vance applauded the move.

"Turning disconnected payments and forcing verification earlier payer wealth flows retired the doorway is 1 of the astir important steps we tin instrumentality to extremity the fraud successful Minnesota. But determination volition beryllium galore much to come," Vance said Tuesday connected X.

Attorney General Pam Bondi connected Monday posted that 98 individuals had been charged and much than 60 had been recovered blameworthy successful court. Of those charged, 85 are of Somali descent, according to Bondi.

"We person much prosecutions coming…BUCKLE UP, LAWMAKERS!" Bondi said connected X.

Investigations into Minnesota's societal services programme day backmost respective years. A national authoritative successful Minnesota said earlier this month that much than a twelve Medicaid-funded programs were being investigated and that arsenic overmuch arsenic fractional of the $18 cardinal successful payer funds spent connected those programs since 2018 whitethorn person been stolen.

One Covid-era scam, which hinged connected a Minnesota nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, led to charges for dozens of defendants who allegedly stole $250 cardinal successful payer funds.

Walz has travel nether occurrence for allowing the fraud to transpire connected his watch. This weekend, a radical of Minnesota Republicans called connected Walz to resign, citing the state's "fraud crisis."

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., has besides called connected Walz to measurement down. In a connection to CNBC connected Wednesday, Emmer praised the Trump administration's actions and took purpose astatine his state's governor.

"Tim Walz's incompetence and inaction has wounded each Minnesotan, and present Walz is suffering the consequences," Emmer said. "His failed enactment has allowed billions to beryllium stolen from hardworking Minnesota taxpayers.