Salt in the Wound: Walz Gets in Even Worse Trouble
Salt in the Wound: DOJ Launches Criminal Probe Into Walz Over Billions in Welfare Fraud – Here’s Everything He Got Away as Minnesota Gov.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a criminal investigation into Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) regarding his knowledge of massive welfare fraud schemes that have cost taxpayers billions of dollars, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Monday evening.
Leavitt made the announcement during an appearance on Fox News with host Jesse Watters, revealing that federal investigators are examining what Walz knew about the fraud and when he knew it.
The investigation comes on the heels of Walz’s stunning decision to abandon his reelection campaign, announced just days after independent journalist Nick Shirly’s report on widespread childcare fraud in Minnesota gained national attention.
Gov. Walz addressed the fraud allegations by acknowledging their scope, but also accused journalist Shirley and the Trump Administration of trying to “exploit” vulnerable populations in the state.
Leavitt rejected those claims, pointing to the devastating impact the fraud has had on Minnesota’s reputation.
“This is a man who can no longer even win the support of the voters within his home state because his policies have failed them. And now the great people of Minnesota, a state that was once known as the land of 10,000 lakes, has been turned into the land of 10,000 Somali schemes because of their governor,” she said.
The White House press secretary emphasized that federal prosecutors have already secured numerous convictions and continue filing new charges against individuals involved in the schemes.
The most recent indictments were filed as recently as Dec. 19, demonstrating the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Leavitt detailed the massive federal response being deployed to Minnesota.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck, across the entire government effort. We are surging resources. You saw today, the Department of Homeland Security announced we have nearly 2,000 agents from the Homeland Security Investigations Team,” she said.
“The FBI is on the ground. And we’re freezing money. HHS cut off funding for childcare centers and for daycares. USDA Secretary Rawlins has been asking Governor Walz to see the recipients of SNAP in his state,” she added.
The press secretary made clear that rooting out welfare fraud in Minnesota and across the country represents a paramount concern for the administration.
“This is a top priority for President Trump, and he believes that Governor Walz is criminally liable, and I think the Department of Justice is going to find out,” Leavitt stated.
Walz’s tenure began with some of the nation’s most restrictive pandemic policies.
In March 2020, Walz ordered the closure of all K-12 public schools statewide through an executive order.
What was initially presented as a temporary measure extended repeatedly through the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year, according to Ballotpedia.
The following school year brought limited flexibility for districts, though state guidance continued pushing remote and hybrid learning models.
Minnesota students remained out of traditional classrooms considerably longer than peers in Republican-governed states.
By July 2020, Walz had issued another executive order establishing a statewide mask mandate.
The mandate required face coverings in most indoor public spaces.
Operating under a March 2020 peacetime emergency declaration, the requirement lasted approximately ten months before ending in May 2021.
Legal challenges emerged swiftly.
In August 2020, the Upper Midwest Law Center filed suit representing 16 Minnesota residents, small businesses and churches.
The plaintiffs contested the mask mandate as executive overreach.
The lawsuit cited conflicts with state statutes, constitutional concerns, and enforcement difficulties for businesses.
That same year brought Executive Orders 20-94 and 20-95, which extended remote learning timelines and provided schools additional preparation time for distance education.
The legal fight over emergency powers stretched across multiple years. Initial court rulings dismissed the case or declared it moot after the mandate expired. However, the Minnesota Supreme Court partially reversed the mootness determination in 2023.
The Court of Appeals ruled in July that Walz had operated within legal bounds. The Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed this decision in 2024, validating broad emergency powers while determining challenges to the expired mandate were moot.
Gender policy became another focus of Walz’s administration.
In March 2023, he signed Executive Order 23-03 protecting access to gender-affirming healthcare in Minnesota.
One month later, Walz signed HF 146, establishing Minnesota as a refuge state for so-called transgender individuals.
The legislation specifically accommodated those facing restrictions or bans in other states.
May 2023 brought HF 44, requiring public and charter schools to provide free menstrual products to menstruating students in grades 4-12.
The gender-neutral law mandates product availability in restrooms regularly used by students.
Walz’s 2024 vice presidential campaign alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris renewed scrutiny of past statements.
Questions emerged regarding his military service, teaching career, and time in China.
Vice President JD Vance and Republican critics raised stolen valor allegations.
They claimed Walz implied combat experience and highlighted his retirement before his unit’s Iraq deployment.
The Harris campaign distributed a video showing Walz supporting a weapons ban following the 2018 Parkland shooting.
In the footage, he stated his desire to ban weapons he “carried in war.” Vance challenged this characterization of Walz’s combat role and suggested he abandoned fellow soldiers by leaving the National Guard before deployment, according to NPR and PBS.
A massive fraud scandal has dominated recent months of Walz’s governorship.
Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota nonprofit claiming to provide children’s meals, submitted fraudulent attendance records to obtain hundreds of millions in federal child nutrition funds.
Federal prosecutors have charged dozens of individuals and obtained multiple convictions.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer initiated an investigation into what he characterizes as widespread fraud during Walz’s administration.
The investigation examines whether the state disregarded early warning signs.
Additional fraud cases have emerged in Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services and Medicaid-funded autism therapy programs.
Providers allegedly billed for services never rendered, diverting millions in state and federal dollars.
Republican lawmakers in Minnesota have demanded Walz’s resignation. They argue his administration’s delayed response enabled the fraud to expand before implementation of stronger audits and enforcement, according to The Washington Examiner.
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