Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said his state “attracts criminals” when asked Sunday about rampant welfare fraud linked to Somali residents.
Walz deflected blame for more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds stolen through various state programs in a Sunday interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, instead taking credit for prosecutions of the crimes. Walz also said that people should not “demonize” Minnesota’s Somali population, which is disproportionately represented in the federal fraud cases, according to multiple reports.
Welker asked the failed 2024 vice presidential candidate if he takes responsibility for allowing taxpayer funds to be looted on such a large scale.
“Well, certainly, I take responsibility for putting people in jail,” Walz said. “Governors don’t get to just talk theoretically. We have to solve problems.”
“I will note, it’s not just Somalis. Minnesota is a generous state. Minnesota is a prosperous state, a well-run state,” the governor said. “We’re AAA-bond rated. But that attracts criminals.”
President Donald Trump heaped criticism on Walz for the Somali fraud crisis in a Thursday Truth Social post, calling him a “seriously retarded Governor” who “does nothing.” Trump also announced Friday that he is ending a federal designation for Somalis that partially shields them from deportation.
Some of the stolen money went to Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, City Journal reported, citing counterterrorism sources. The Islamic group is tied to Al Qaeda, killed several Americans and plotted a 9/11-style plane attack on the U.S. that federal authorities thwarted, leading to the conviction of an Al-Shabaab operative in November 2024.
“Those people are going to jail,” Walz said Sunday about those arrested in fraud cases. “We’re doing everything we can. But to demonize an entire community on the actions of a few? It’s lazy.”
A coalition of Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) employees said Walz “is 100% responsible for massive fraud” in the state in a Saturday statement, the Daily Caller previously reported. The statement alleged that the governor “systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports.”
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