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Walz’s lieutenant governor and progressive Senate hopeful slammed for leadership amid Somali fraud crisis
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Minnesota Lt. Gov. and progressive Democratic Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan is taking criticism, including from inside her own party, for her leadership during what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era fraud scheme.
Along with Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, Flanagan, who has helped lead the state as lieutenant governor since 2019, has come under fire for allowing the fraud scheme to grow during her watch.
A Minnesota Democratic operative told Fox News Digital that Flanagan «could absolutely lose to a Republican given all the fraud that took place during her time as Lt. Governor.»
«Today is the day Peggy’s Senate race effectively ended,» said the Democratic operative.
FRAUD FALLOUT FORCES DEMOCRATIC GOV. TIM WALZ TO ABANDON MINNESOTA RE-ELECTION BID
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan speaks as Gov. Tim Walz, right, listens. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
«Here are the facts: Peggy Flanagan was already a bad general election candidate, and this has made it even worse,» the operative went on, adding, «she owes the voters answers about what she knew and when.»
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., whose district includes the Twin Cities suburbs, told Fox News Digital that «Peggy Flanagan is just as much of a failure as Tim Walz.»
He noted that Flanagan’s primary opponent, Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, «isn’t much better.»
«Both of these candidates sat idly by while billions were stolen from hardworking taxpayers in Minnesota. And just like Tim, they ought to reconsider their candidacy,» said Emmer.
Walz, who served as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in 2024, announced on Monday that he was withdrawing from seeking a third term as governor in light of the fraud scandal.
«As I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all,» Walz wrote in a statement. «Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.»
OVER 1,000 ARRESTED IN ‘MASSIVE’ MINNESOTA OPERATION, INCLUDING MURDERERS, RAPISTS, PEDOPHILES
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks to reporters after he announced that he would not seek reelection, at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 5, 2026. (Tim Evans/Reuters)
«So, I’ve decided to step out of this race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work in front of me for the next year,» the governor added.
Flanagan is running to replace outgoing Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, who is retiring from the Senate. She has been endorsed by the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
Though she is considered a frontrunner, Flanagan’s response to the scandal has garnered criticism. She was recently seen on a Somali TV station wearing a hijab at a mall to signal her support for Minnesota’s Somali community as the federal government cracks down on the fraud scheme.
This comes as more than 90 people, most from Minnesota’s large Somali community, have been charged since 2022 in what has been described as the nation’s largest COVID-era scheme. How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion.
In response to the criticisms, Lexi Byler, a spokesperson for Flanagan’s campaign, told Fox News Digital that «the Lt. Governor has made clear that the amount of fraud that is acceptable is zero and anyone who steals from taxpayer dollars should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law — which is exactly what’s happening in Minnesota, where 98 people have been charged and 62 convicted so far.»
TRUMP FLIPS DEMOCRATS’ ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’ MANTRA AFTER WALZ DROPS RE-ELECTION BID
Minnesota Lt. Gov. and Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan appeared in a hijab on Somali TV as the state reels from a massive fraud scandal tied to a Somali-run nonprofit. (Somali TV Minnesota)
Byler added that «what’s hard to take seriously is Republicans talking about accountability while Donald Trump has pardoned 27 corporate fraudsters and fired the Inspectors General whose job it is to police fraud,» adding that «Republicans are going to have to answer for that.»
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On her campaign website, Flanagan touts her record as lieutenant governor, including expanding Minnesota’s paid family and medical leave program and investments in education, healthcare and housing.
The Minnesota primary will be on August 11.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Walz and Craig for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
minnesota fraud exposed,somali immigrant community,tim walz,minnesota,senate elections,elections,democrats elections
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Israel approves sweeping death penalty legislation targeting terrorism, EU condemns move
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JERUSALEM: Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, on Monday passed a law mandating the death penalty for Palestinian terrorists convicted of deadly acts of terrorism, sparking anger from European countries and an Israeli opposition leader.
Lawmakers voted 62-47 in favor of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s legislation to prescribe the death penalty by hanging. Ben Gvir and his party, Otzma Yehudit, proposed the measure.
Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Tzvika Foghel, who chairs the National Security Committee and advanced the bill through the committee under his leadership, told Fox News Digital that Israelis are fed up with policies of containment and compromise.
NETANYAHU URGES COURT TO REVOKE PALESTINIANS’ ISRAELI CITIZENSHIP AFTER CONVICTIONS FOR VIOLENT CRIMES
The opening assembly of the Knesset’s winter session on Monday evening. (Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL)
«For too many years, we have tried to please the entire world, even when we were being murdered in our streets. Since October 7, we have shifted to an offensive approach so that we can dictate the reality in the future,» he said.
Foghel said the death penalty for terrorists is part of a broader shift in Israel, driven by the recognition that no other country faces a reality in confronting radical Islamic terrorism in Gaza, Lebanon, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), as well as in Yemen and Iran.
«The death penalty for terrorists who burned, raped, mutilated and abused children and parents is the same punishment we established for the Nazis,» he said.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said, «The EU has a principled position against the death penalty in all cases and in all circumstances. Israel had long upheld a de facto moratorium on both executions and capital punishment sentencing, thereby leading by example in the region despite a complex security environment.»
She added, «The approval of the Death Penalty Bill by the Israeli Parliament marks a grave regression from that practice and from Israel’s own commitments. We are deeply concerned about the de facto discriminatory character of the Bill.»
ANALYSTS SAY GAZA ‘CIVILIAN’ DEATHS INCLUDE HAMAS, OTHER TERROR MEMBERS WORKING AS MEDICS, MEDIA WORKERS
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid speaks at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Oct. 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. ((Photo by Evelyn Hockstein – Pool/Getty Images))
Israel has applied the death penalty only once in the state’s history for the Nazi mass murderer Adolf Eichmann in 1962. The death penalty exists on the books in Israel, but Israeli courts have limited latitude to apply execution to cases beyond penalties for Nazi war criminals.
Former Prime Minister and current leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, Yair Lapid said the legislation is fundamentally flawed because it does not apply to Hamas terrorists involved in the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre that killed 1,200 people.
«This law is not a show of force; it is a sign of panic. This law is more extreme than anything in the United States, and they know it will get struck down by the law. It isn’t a law for justice or for deterrence, it is a law for public relations,» he added.
Adolf Eichmann, in a bullet-proof cabin, puts on earphones to hear the reading of the act of accusation against him, Dec. 17, 1961. He was in charge of the extermination of Jews in Poland and then organized the deportation and extermination of Jews in 13 European countries. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
Likud lawmaker Dan Illouz, a supporter of the legislation, told Fox News Digital that the events of Oct. 7 underscored, in his view, the need to prevent terrorists from viewing the kidnapping of civilians as a viable means of securing the release of imprisoned militants.
«The death penalty shatters that equation. It serves as the ultimate deterrent, ensuring that terrorists know their actions lead only to their own demise, not a negotiated release. We are a life-loving nation, but to protect life, we must deal decisively with those who seek to destroy it,» he said.
«Prime Minister Netanyahu’s vote in favor was crucial. It projects an unmistakable message of strength and moral clarity from the very top of Israel’s leadership. By personally casting his vote, the Prime Minister showed our enemies, and the entire world, that our government is completely united and unyielding in our resolve to eradicate terrorism and defend our citizens,» he added.
MICHIGAN SYNAGOGUE ATTACKER WAS INSPIRED BY HEZBOLLAH, SOUGHT TO KILL AS MANY JEWISH PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE: FEDS
The Israeli Channel 12 political commentator, Amit Segal, wrote that he supports «executing terrorists who attempt to murder civilians — especially the monsters of October 7,» but was critical of Ben Gvir’s legislation.
He wrote in his newsletter, «The law defines terrorism as acts ‘to negate the existence of the state,’ a definition that could apply to groups such as extremist Haredi factions and violent members of the ‘Hilltop Youth’ (which Ben-Gvir supports.)
Hamas terrorists killed civilians, including women, children and the elderly, when they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)
Segal said that «while Ben-Gvir’s law is essentially a campaign stunt, a more responsible law is making its way through the system. Proposed by MKs Simcha Rotman and Yulia Malinovsky, the law establishes the practical mechanisms — procedural and evidentiary — to secure convictions of Nukhba terrorists, after which the death penalty could be imposed.»
Another Likud lawmaker, Amit Halevi, told Fox News Digital that the central element of the legislation is the distinction between criminal offenses and crimes against the state or against humanity.
«A terrorist commits his crimes as part of an ideology aimed at killing, oppressing and controlling all Jews. These terrorists, if they could, would kill every one of us. They are ideological murderers, in a different category from ordinary criminals, and that is a critical point of the bill,» he said.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrives for a cabinet meeting at the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem on Aug. 27, 2023. (MENAHEM KAHANA/Pool via REUTERS)
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Halevi added that further efforts are needed to clearly delineate crimes against the state, including what falls within that category and what does not.
«Generally speaking, this legislation is a step in the right direction. Much of the criticism I hear relates to ordinary criminals. People do not understand the enemy — who he is and what this war is about,» he said.
israel, terrorism, hamas, conflicts, benjamin netanyahu
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A progressive House candidate backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is under fire for dodging in-person debates with her GOP opponent ahead of an April special election, prompting accusations that she is reluctant to defend her far-left platform before voters.
Republican candidate Joe Hathaway is ripping his Democratic opponent, Analilia Mejia, for agreeing to a virtual debate — after repeatedly declining a series of face-to-face opportunities. The candidates are scheduled to participate in a live virtual forum sponsored by the New Jersey Globe on Wednesday evening.
«Unfortunately, when my opponent dodges and lies about debates, it limits the opportunity for a head-to-head matchup with two weeks left in the election,» Hathaway said in a statement to Fox News Digital. «For now, she can hide behind a screen, but she cannot hide from her record.»
The special election winner will fill an open seat vacated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., who resigned after winning the state’s 2025 governor’s race. The outcome will be closely watched for its potential impact on House Republicans’ razor-thin majority.
Analilia Mejia, then a progressive activist, speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on April 19, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WHERE SANDERS AND AOC BACKED PROGRESSIVE CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE ANALILIA MEJIA STANDS ON KEY ISSUES
Hathaway’s blistering criticism comes after Mejia repeatedly declined debate opportunities with Hathaway that he accepted, the Hathaway campaign told Fox News Digital.
Proposed debates sponsored by Montclair High School, On New Jersey, Fairleigh Dickinson University and New Jersey Spotlight News ultimately fell through after Mejia did not accept the invites, according to the Hathaway campaign.
Mejia, who narrowly upset a crowded field of challengers in February’s Democratic primary, has also faced backlash for appearing to misrepresent her rationale for backing out of a separate debate opportunity with local chapters of the left-leaning League of Women Voters.
The New Jersey Democrat said she rejected the debate invite — co-sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey — because the group was «unable to commit» to having a person of color as the moderator.
The woman-led group fired back in a statement accusing Mejia of lying, saying their intended moderator would have been a person of color. Mejia’s primary objection was not being able to control the selection process herself, according to the group.
Republican candidate Joe Hathaway has sharply criticized Democrat Analilia Mejia for dodging an in-person debate opportunity ahead of the April 16 special election. (Joe Hathaway Campaign; Heather Khalifa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
BALLOT BOX SHOCKER: PROGRESSIVE BACKED BY SANDERS, AOC ON VERGE OF UPSET IN DEM CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY
«We were asked to provide a campaign with a list of potential moderators for approval,» Jennifer Howard, LWV president, said in a release. «This is a request that the League of Women Voters cannot accommodate. Our nonpartisan stance does not permit a candidate to influence the selection of the moderator.»
Hathaway, a Randolph Township councilmember who faces an uphill battle to win the Democratic-leaning district, slammed Mejia for backing out of the planned debate.
«If she is willing to lie about something as simple as a debate, what other lies can we expect to hear from her tomorrow?» Hathaway told Fox News Digital.
«We will show a clear contrast between the practical common-sense leadership that I am running on, and the dangerous, radical, and socialist policies of my opponent,» he added.
When asked to comment on Monday, a spokesperson for the Mejia campaign said, «All Joe Hathaway does is complain. We will see him tomorrow.»
Analilia Mejia has embraced the «Abolish ICE» movement during her run for Congress. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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The Mejia campaign previously told Fox News Digital that she accepted the New Jersey Globe debate because the outlet met her diversity requirements and was closely following the race.
Mejia, a staunch progressive who served in a senior role in Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is a vocal critic of Israel.
The winner of the special election will face voters again in November for a full two-year term.
democrats elections, new jersey, alexandria ocasio cortez, house of representatives, politics
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