Allies of President Trump have set their sights on Minnesota in the wake of a fraud scandal in the state.
The scandal centers on hundreds of millions of dollars allegedly stolen via a federally funded nutrition program. The New York Times late last month put the story into national prominence, noting federal prosecutors’ statements that as much as $1 billion of taxpayer money may have been taken.
“To date, the FBI dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during COVID. The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies, and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on the social platform X.
“The case led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions. Defendants included Abdiwahab Ahmed Mohamud, Ahmed Ali, Hussein Farah, Abdullahe Nur Jesow, Asha Farhan Hassan, Ousman Camara, and Abdirashid Bixi Dool, each charged for roles ranging from wire fraud to money laundering and conspiracy,” he added.
Vice President Vance said in his own post on X on Saturday that “[w]hat’s happening in Minnesota is a microcosm of the immigriation fraud in our system.”
“Politicans like it because they get power. Welfare cheats like it because they get rich. But it’s a zero sum game, and they’re stealing both money and political power from Minnesotans,” he added.
Trump has attacked Somali immigrants multiple times in recent weeks, with the president saying he didn’t want Somali immigrants in the U.S. and that Somalia “stinks.” The Minnesota fraud scheme’s alleged ringleader is white, but dozens of Somalis have been convicted and faced additional charges.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) went after his state’s governor, Tim Walz (D), on X as well, responding to a post from the Democrat that featured a cat.
“Your mismanagement of state funds has just been exposed to tens of millions of Americans and you’re posting about ‘Caturday.’ You should be ashamed,” Emmer said in the post.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a former member of the Trump administration who has fallen in and out of the president’s favor, also weighed in on the fraud scandal.
“The radical left has been using fraudulent government programs for a long time to import and retain vast numbers of illegal (and legal, in some cases) immigrants to win elections and turn America into a single-party state, destroying any real democracy,”
“The more you look at it, the more you will be horrified at what your tax money is doing and the fact that, if this is not reversed, your vote will mean nothing,” he added. “The most obvious case example is the Somali voting bloc in Minnesota, a state that historically had zero Somalis, electing Ilhan Omar to the US Congress.”
The Hill has reached out to Walz’s and Omar’s offices for comment.
