House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) expanded the committee’s investigation into the Minnesota fraud scandal and called on state officials to testify before Congress.
Comer is seeking closed-door, transcribed interviews with Minnesota officials, while also requesting suspicious activity reports from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, along with a staff-level briefing from the Justice Department.
“I’m expanding @GOPoversight’s investigation into massive fraud uncovered in Minnesota under Governor Walz’s watch,” Comer wrote on X. “It’s time for Minnesota officials to appear before Congress for transcribed interviews. Democrats turned a blind eye to this fraud. Republicans won’t.”
The alleged fraud, of which the majority charged are Somali immigrants, targeted multiple government social services programs in Minnesota, including one intended to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic under Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) leadership, with federal prosecutors saying billions of taxpayer dollars could have been stolen.
Minnesota programs meant to support providers in assisting people at risk of homelessness, and another meant to provide therapy for autistic children, were also purportedly defrauded.
The House Oversight Committee launched its investigation into the matter earlier this month, with Comer calling on Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to provide any documents in relation to the fraud scandal that occurred in the state. The committee said Walz has failed to cooperate with the committee’s requests.
President Donald Trump announced last month in a Truth Social post that he was terminating temporary protected status for Somalis in the state. The president’s move came after a City Journal report alleged millions of Minnesota taxpayer dollars were stolen in the fraud scheme and were funneled to the Somali-based al Shabaab terrorist group.
Many Democrats, including Walz, have criticized the administration’s illegal immigration crackdown and Trump’s move to terminate the temporary protected status of Somalis living in Minnesota.
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Walz has pledged that an audit will be conducted by late January to provide a better understanding, while saying his administration is taking aggressive action to prevent further fraud. Minnesota has the highest Somali population of any state in the United States.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Democrats on the committee and Walz’s office for comment.
