Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is facing two massive scandals that could put his re-election campaign at risk. Walz is being slammed for using $430,000 of taxpayer money for “debate prep,” as well as allegations that he was aware of large-scale fraud involving state aid programs within the Somali community.
Nearly 500 employees in Minnesota’s state government say Walz ignored repeated internal warnings about large-scale fraud involving state aid programs within the Somali community and that he retaliated against staff who raised concerns.
The employees, who work within the state Department of Human Services, have for several years operated an anonymous X account outlining what they describe as ongoing cases of fraud and misuse of public funds.
The group has previously issued warnings to state leaders and to Minnesota residents about patterns of financial abuse they say they identified in program oversight.
In a new post, the employees alleged that Walz not only failed to act on their alerts but also took punitive measures against staff members who attempted to report the issues through official channels.
“Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota,” the group said in a November 29 post referencing a New York Times article on the crimes. “We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud, but no, we got the opposite response.
“Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports,” they added. “Instead of partnership, we got the full weight of retaliation by Tim Walz, certain DFL members, and an indifferent mainstream media. It’s scary, isolating, and left us wondering who we can turn to.”
The whistleblowers also allege that Walz “disempowered the Office of the Legislative Auditor” to allow the fraud to continue freely and “attacked whistleblowers who were trying to raise red flags on fraudulent activities.”
Scrutiny of Walz has intensified following reports that some Minnesota state aid dollars may have been diverted to an African terrorist organization, Breitbart News reported.
Beyond the allegations of widespread fraud within Minnesota’s welfare programs, investigators have identified instances in which Somali migrants allegedly funneled millions in taxpayer funds to al-Shabaab, an Islamic extremist group operating in East Africa.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that his department is examining whether Minnesota state funds were improperly routed to al-Shabaab.
The investigation follows earlier reports that fraud within the state’s aid programs reached far beyond financial losses and may have contributed to overseas terrorist financing.
Fraud allegations have surfaced across multiple Minnesota welfare and aid programs, extending well beyond the Department of Human Services.
One of the earliest and largest cases involved Feeding Our Future, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit whose operators — many of them members of the local Somali community — are accused by federal prosecutors of stealing approximately $250 million in child nutrition funds.
Additional investigations have uncovered tens of millions of dollars in alleged fraud within Minnesota’s autism treatment program, as well as more than $550 million in losses tied to the state’s coronavirus pandemic relief efforts.
A separate Feeding Our Future–related case also centers on the alleged theft of over $250 million in state pandemic-era aid meant to provide meals for children. Federal authorities say the various schemes represent some of the largest cases of public-assistance fraud in state history and involve networks of individuals across multiple programs.
That’s not the only scandal Walz is facing.
Republican state lawmakers in Minnesota have sharply criticized Walz after it was revealed he spent $430,000 of taxpayer money preparing for a recent House congressional hearing investigating blue state governors’ “sanctuary city” policies.
Walz’s office hired the prominent global law firm K&L Gates to assist with preparations for his mid-June testimony before the GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee, which focused on questions about his and other blue state governors’ sanctuary city policies.
In May alone, Walz incurred approximately $232,000 in legal fees, with an average hourly rate of about $516, according to the invoices obtained by the Star Tribune.
The outlet further reported that K&L Gates worked with Walz’s office from April 10 through the June 12 hearing, with the legal preparation costing taxpayers a total of $430,000.
Minnesota Rep. Jim Nash, one of two Republicans on the state’s Legislative Advisory Commission, questioned why Walz chose to hire outside counsel instead of relying on the state’s attorneys and public relations experts.
Republican Minnesota state Rep. Harry Niska added there “appears to be no legitimate legal interest in the state racking up nearly half-a-million dollars in what amounts to PR consulting.”
