What started as a routine Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing quickly spiraled into a full-blown political firestorm Thursday when Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley went head-to-head with Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison over explosive allegations tied to one of the largest COVID-era fraud scandals in the country.
At the center of the clash: Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that was supposed to provide meals to low-income children during the pandemic. Instead, according to federal prosecutors, it became the vehicle for a staggering fraud scheme that siphoned off more than $300 million in taxpayer funds.
Hawley didn’t hold back.
Citing audio released by the Center for the American Experiment, a Minnesota-based conservative nonprofit, Hawley accused Ellison of meeting on Dec. 11, 2021, with individuals later charged in the fraud scheme — and allegedly agreeing to help them push back against investigators. According to the recording, the defendants complained for nearly an hour about state investigators examining their activities.
Senator Josh Hawley just torched Minnesota AG Keith Ellison in a Senate hearing over that $250M Somali fraud scam—exposing how Ellison let them walk free, only to pocket their campaign donations days later.
This reeks of elite insider deals and swamp protection rackets.
How… pic.twitter.com/mSIpsNqeFg
— HEATHER C. (@Heatherc_77) February 13, 2026
Senator Josh Hawley just torched Minnesota AG Keith Ellison in a Senate hearing over that $250M Somali fraud scam—exposing how Ellison let them walk free, only to pocket their campaign donations days later.“Because the people who ran the Feeding Our Futures program came to you in your official office … and asked for your help in getting investigators off their backs,” Hawley said. “They begged you to help them, and you agreed to it, amazingly. And we know you did, because it’s all caught on tape.”
Hawley quoted Ellison from the transcript, including statements such as “send me the names” of investigators and “I’ll call the person over at Education who is investigating them and say, what’s going on?”
Ellison forcefully denied wrongdoing, accusing Hawley of cherry-picking quotes and misrepresenting the conversation. “I didn’t help them,” Ellison said, adding that his office ultimately assisted with information that led to prosecutions and convictions.
But Hawley escalated the confrontation, zeroing in on campaign finance records showing Ellison received $10,000 in donations just nine days after the meeting. Hawley implied the timing raised serious ethical questions.
“Why’d you do it? Was it worth it?” Hawley pressed. “You helped fraudsters defraud your state and this government … and you got a fat campaign contribution out of it. You ought to be indicted.”
Ellison rejected the accusation outright.
“Keith Ellison REFUSED to prosecute Somali fraudsters who stole $250 million, and then received campaign contributions from them 10 days later.
That’s called BRIBERY
He needs to be… pic.twitter.com/Xje3HQhwEd
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 13, 2026
The exchange grew even more heated when Hawley said Ellison “ought to be in jail,” prompting Ellison to fire back after Hawley called him “pal.” “Don’t call me pal,” Ellison said.
The broader scandal remains staggering in scope. Federal prosecutors have charged 78 individuals in connection with the Feeding Our Future scheme. As of January, 57 have been convicted. Authorities have also alleged that some of the stolen funds were routed to transnational criminal organizations and other illicit operations.
Ellison also denied separate accusations that he ignored whistleblowers who approached his office in 2018 with concerns about fraud tied to the nonprofit.
With convictions still unfolding and political tensions boiling over, the clash between Hawley and Ellison underscores the broader fury surrounding pandemic-era fraud — and the mounting demand for accountability over how hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars vanished under the watch of state and federal officials.
