Minnesota has shifted from being the land of 10,000 lakes to the land of billion-dollar frauds. Gov. Tim Walz has faced mounting scrutiny as multiple large-scale fraud schemes have unfolded during his tenure. Recent
reports indicate Minnesota has suffered substantial taxpayer-funded fraud, much of it allegedly involving individuals within the state’s Somali community.
The state is still recovering from the fallout of the $250 million Feeding Our Future case, as new reporting from City Journal uncovered additional alleged fraud tied to Minnesota’s Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services program.
The report also noted accusations that millions from the scheme were funneled to the terror group Al Shabaab.
Investigators estimate the total fraud at roughly $1 billion across various public assistance programs.
Fox News reported the amount may ultimately be far higher. “Fraud investigators are finding in Minnesota is growing by the day,” Fox News National Correspondent Garrett Tenney reported.
“Kelly Loeffler, who leads the Small Business Administration, says in the two days her agency has been investigating the state, they’ve uncovered at least $1 million in PPP fraud.”
Tenney added that whistleblowers told lawmakers “they believe the total amount of fraud could total up to more than $8 billion.”
Walz has faced questions over accountability as he defended the state’s programs.
“And in spite of the headwinds we’re up against, Minnesota ranks economically, economic growth, happiness, number of people insured, education levels near the very top,” Walz said, pointing to a budget surplus that does not account for the alleged fraud losses.
If folks are going to commit crimes here, thinking because our generous spirit and our programs that we have is going to give them some kind of cover, they are sadly mistaken,” he said.
Aside from the questions directed at Walz, RedState Editor Bob Hoge reported that Rep. Ilhan Omar has ties to at least two individuals linked to the alleged schemes.
Omar was pressed about the situation during an interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper.
Trump Got What He Wanted From Meeting With Mamdani: Analyst
President Donald Trump likely got everything he was hoping to gain from his meeting with avowed socialist New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, according to a noted political analyst. In an interview Monday with Fox News’ Jesse Watters, commentator and Valuetainment founder Patrick Bet-David described how he thought the meeting went behind closed doors.
“I thought it went great. I thought mamdani is standing next to a pro, sizing him up, thinking to himself what is wrong with this guy? He allowed me to diss him in front of everyone, he’s so comfortable with it. He’s probably sitting there saying, ‘what is he trying to get out of this?’” Bet-David began.
“And by the way, imagine how the conversation went behind closed doors. What do you think the president told him? I don’t know, I’m just speculating. Maybe saying, listen we would love to make this work with you. If you want to get these things done we’ll help you, if you want to play games do your thing but don’t forget you’re gonna need us,” he went on.
“You know, obviously, the president, knowing what he’s doing…the last time a Mamdani type of person came in and he lost, [Hillary] Clinton asked him to step out, that was Bernie Sanders, and the moment Bernie Sanders lost, Hillary came in, Trump got on TV and said, ‘Look what they did to your candidate. You like what they did to the candidate? Establishment came and took away…” he noted.
‘You wanted Bernie Sanders as your candidate, you wanted this person to run as president, but Hillary said no, no, step aside, you are not good enough to run for president, it’s me, I am the person that’s gonna be president. And then those people flocked to him. It’s a very weird think that he has both sides,” Bet-David continued.
“So I think the Mamdani voters, the Bernie Sanders voters, the AOC voters, are watching how [Trump’s] being gentle with Mamdani now that he’s in. And if good things end up happening, they may be looking back saying look, I hate to say this but I kind of like President Trump. I think he’s going to end up winning at the end of the day,” the commentator concluded.
Patrick Bet-David: Trump likely got everything he wanted out of his meeting last week with NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Trump said Saturday he is pressing pause on deploying the National Guard to New York City, arguing other American cities “need it more” at the moment as part of his ongoing national crime-fighting effort.
The president’s comments came one day after he hosted Mamdani.
Trump had previously listed New York among the Democrat-run cities where he was prepared to deploy the National Guard, saying in August he would “help” fight crime in the city after completing operations in Chicago, Mediaite reported.
MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner asked Trump if he still planned to send the Guard to New York while he took questions before departing for Joint Base Andrews.
“If they need it. Right now, other places need it more, but if they need it,” Trump said. “We had a very good meeting yesterday. We talked about that, but if they need it, I would do it.”
Trump made a similar comment during his Oval Office meeting with Mamdani on Friday and said he would feel “very comfortable” living in New York City, especially after speaking with the incoming mayor.
The tone of the meeting was warmer than many expected, given Trump had previously referred to Mamdani as “my little communist” and mocked his socialist ideas, saying they have never worked.
Mamdani had called Trump a “fascist” in the past, a comment the president laughed off when speaking to reporters on Friday. The pair appeared unusually friendly during the summit, and Trump later said it was a “great honor” to host Mamdani.
