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Comer to say Tim Walz ‘enabled fraud,’ failed whistleblowers in bombshell Minnesota hearing
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House Oversight Committee Republicans are readying to confront Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison at a high-stakes hearing on welfare fraud Wednesday morning.
«While Governor Walz hesitated, taxpayers lost billions. Attorney General Ellison has likewise claimed his office was aggressively holding fraudsters accountable, but when his statements were tested against the record, they fell apart,» Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., will say, according to prepared opening remarks obtained by Fox News Digital.
«We have spoken with over thirty whistleblowers, many of them current employees and Democrats, who say they were ignored, retaliated against, and even surveilled for raising concerns. Instead of protecting the whistleblowers, the Walz administration protected the system that enabled fraud.»
Hours before the hearing kicked off, the committee released a 53-page report that accused both Walz and Ellison of knowing about the fraud allegations far earlier than previously thought.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of retaliating against whistleblowers who tried to bring attention to fraud in Minnesota. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
«While the Committee continues to review documents and meet with whistleblowers, it is evident that Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison knew about the fraud in federal programs administered by the State of Minnesota much earlier than they told the American people,» the report said.
«Transcribed interviews with current and former public officials from the State of Minnesota have confirmed that Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison would have been aware of fraud in the [Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)] and high-risk Medicaid programs administered by DHS as early as spring 2019 and fraud in [state food aid] programs administered by [the Minnesota Department of Education] as early as April 2020.»
Both Walz and Ellison previously pushed back on any accusations that they knowingly allowed fraud in Minnesota’s social programs and have accused Republicans of politicizing the situation.
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The high-profile hearing is the culmination of a monthslong probe by the House Oversight Committee targeting allegations of fraud in Minnesota.
The panel previously interviewed current and former officials within the state’s government, including those focused on food aid.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Feb. 12, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota have charged multiple people with stealing more than $240 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future. However, the probe has since widened to multiple state-run programs being investigated for potential fraud. Childcare providers receiving state funding, mainly within the Somali community, are also under scrutiny.
WALZ SLAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR TEMPORARILY HALTING MEDICAID FUNDING TO MINNESOTA: ‘CAMPAIGN OF RETRIBUTION’
And the committee’s report accused the state’s progressive leadership of ignoring evidence of fraud in a bid to appease the Somali community in Minneapolis.
«The Committee has found that Minnesota lacked adequate oversight efforts to verify that taxpayer dollars were being used appropriately and could have stopped the flow of money to fraudsters at any time but chose not to for fear of political retribution from the politically active Somali community,» the report said.
«Further legislative efforts at the federal level are necessary to prevent this massive waste, fraud, and abuse of federal dollars from ever happening again.»
In his opening statement, Comer will call the scandal «one of the most extensive breakdowns of oversight this Committee has ever examined.»
«Billions of taxpayer dollars were stolen from social services programs while warnings piled up, whistleblowers spoke out, and state officials chose delay and denial over action,» he will say.
«Federal prosecutors estimate that as much as $9 billion may have been stolen from just fourteen Medicaid programs administered by the State of Minnesota. As our investigation has shown, it happened because state leadership failed, repeatedly, to intervene. What we’ve uncovered in Minnesota is not a paperwork error or a few bad actors slipping through the cracks. It is a sustained failure of leadership.»
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Meanwhile, Democrats on the committee have accused Comer of trying to distract from the fallout of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis — including the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents.
«I encourage folks to watch those videos and see what’s happened for themselves. And I’m hopeful that this committee investigates this incident and that we have full accountability,» Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said during a previous hearing on Minnesota fraud.
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INTERNACIONAL
Crece la tensión entre España y EE.UU.: la tajante respuesta de Pedro Sánchez ante la amenaza de Trump de cortar las relaciones comerciales
El presidente del Gobierno español, Pedro Sánchez, eligió un mensaje contundente para enfrentar la presión de Donald Trump: “No a la guerra”.
Así, el mandatario español se plantó ante el enojo del expresidente estadounidense, que reclamó el uso de las bases militares de Rota y Morón para lanzar ataques contra Irán y recibió una negativa rotunda desde Madrid.
Leé también: Guerra de Medio Oriente: dos bandos y 13 países involucrados en un conflicto que jaquea al mundo
El miércoles, Sánchez habló desde el palacio de la Moncloa y dejó clara la postura de su gobierno: “La posición del Gobierno de España se resume en cuatro palabras: no a la guerra”.
La declaración llegó después de que Trump acusara a España de comportarse “de manera terrible” en medio de la crisis con Irán.
Desde la Casa Blanca, la respuesta de Trump no tardó en llegar. El exmandatario calificó a España como un “aliado terrible” y amenazó con suspender el comercio bilateral, tildando la decisión española de “hostil”. La respuesta de Pedro Sánchez a Dfonald Trump: «No a la guerra». (Foto:REUTERS/Yves Herman).
“No vamos a ser cómplices de algo que es malo para el mundo y que también es contrario a nuestros valores e intereses, simplemente por el miedo a las represalias de alguno”, retrucó Sánchez, endureciendo el tono frente a Washington.
Sin mencionar a Trump, Sánchez acusó a “los dirigentes que son incapaces” de “mejorar la vida de la gente” de usar el “humo de la guerra para ocultar su fracaso y llenar de paso los bolsillos de unos pocos”.
Un nuevo capítulo en la relación Sánchez-Trump
El enfrentamiento entre Sánchez y Trump no es nuevo. Ya hubo roces por la negativa española a elevar el gasto en defensa al 5% del PBI, como exigía el magnate estadounidense a los socios de la OTAN, y por las diferencias sobre la ofensiva israelí en Gaza.
En este contexto, el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Israel aprovechó el respaldo de Irán a la postura española para lanzar una crítica en redes sociales: “¿Eso es estar en el ‘lado correcto’ de la historia?”, escribió en X.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, acusó a España de comportarse como un «aliado terrible» y amenazó con suspender el comercio entre ambos países. (Foto: AP/Mark Schiefelbein).
El fantasma de Irak y la política interna española
La postura de Sánchez conecta con su electorado de izquierda, a menos de un año de las elecciones generales y en medio de escándalos de corrupción que golpean a su entorno.
El “No a la guerra” revive el lema de las masivas protestas en España contra la invasión de Irak en 2003, cuando el entonces presidente José María Aznar (PP) se alineó con Estados Unidos.
Muchos españoles vincularon esa decisión con los atentados de marzo de 2004, que dejaron 192 muertos y precipitaron la llegada de los socialistas al poder.
Leé también: Irán: el hijo del ayatollah asesinado Alí Jamenei fue elegido como el nuevo líder supremo
Según dijo Sánchez, lejos de conseguir sus propósitos, la guerra de Irak “desencadenó la mayor oleada de inseguridad que ha sufrido nuestro continente desde la caída del muro de Berlín”.
“La guerra de Irak generó un aumento drástico del terrorismo yihadista, una grave crisis migratoria en el Mediterráneo oriental y un incremento generalizado de precios de la energía”, evocó.
Desde la oposición, el líder del Partido Popular, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, pidió “respeto” a Trump, pero acusó a Sánchez de usar la política exterior para “intereses partidarios”.
En tanto, el diario El País advirtió en su editorial que Sánchez debería “evitar la tentación de enrocarse y de utilizar la amplísima animadversión que existe hacia Trump en la sociedad española para ganar popularidad”.
Europa, dividida y bajo presión
La reacción europea ante la crisis mostró fisuras. El primer ministro alemán, Friedrich Merz, aseguró desde la Casa Blanca que intentaban “convencer” a Madrid de aumentar el gasto militar, algo que generó “sorpresa” en el gobierno español, según el canciller José Manuel Albares.
Sin embargo, la Comisión Europea salió a respaldar a España frente a las amenazas de Trump. “Nos solidarizamos totalmente con todos los Estados miembros y todos sus ciudadanos y, a través de nuestra política comercial común, estamos preparados para actuar si es necesario para salvaguardar los intereses de la UE”, advirtió el portavoz Olof Gill.
Leé también: Crece la tensión por la guerra: Irán lanzó un misil hacia Turquía, pero fue interceptado por el sistema de defensa de la OTAN
Mientras tanto, Alemania, Francia y Reino Unido mantuvieron cautela sobre la operación militar estadounidense-israelí en Irán.
Francia y Reino Unido defendieron a Chipre, amenazada por la extensión del conflicto, pero eso no frenó las críticas de Trump al primer ministro británico, Keir Starmer, a quien acusó de “no ser Churchill”.
“El accionar de la UE ante los ataques a Irán no ha sido muy coherente”, analizó Ángel Saz Carranza, director del centro EsadeGeo. Y agregó: “No parece imposible que Estados Unidos haya pedido alineación europea a cambio de seguir apoyando con Ucrania”.
Donald Trump, Pedro Sánchez, España, Estados Unidos, Irán, Medio Oriente
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Israel’s military said Wednesday that one of its F-35I «Adir» stealth fighter jets shot down an Iranian Air Force Yak-130, marking the first time the advanced aircraft has downed a manned fighter in combat.
«The historic shootdown over the Tehran skies is a testament to the strength of the Israeli Air Force and to your personal determination,» said Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, the commander of the Israeli air force.
«The war continues – return home safely. Get some rest,» he told the pilots. «The next mission is already waiting for you.»
The F-35I is Israel’s customized version of the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation stealth fighter that anchors the country’s air fleet.
An Israeli air force F-35I Adir multirole fighter aircraft flies over the Negev Desert after taking off from a military base en route to the Gaza Strip on Oct. 14, 2023. (Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the F-35 program’s official website, Israel became the first country to select the aircraft through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process, signing a letter of agreement in October 2010.
The site says the Israeli air force gave the jet the Hebrew name «Adir,» meaning «Mighty One,» and received its first F-35 on June 22, 2016.
The Yak-130 is a Russian-made, two-seat combat training aircraft designed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau, according to United Aircraft Corporation, the state-owned Russian aerospace company that manufactures the jet.
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A Russian-made Yak-130 subsonic two-seat advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft maneuvers during a flying display on the third day of the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, England, on July 11, 2012. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
It made its maiden flight in 1996 and is currently in active production.
Iran’s air force received its first Yak-130 training aircraft in September 2023, according to Press TV, Iran’s state-run English-language broadcaster.
IRAN’S DRONE SWARM ATTACKS UNLEASH ‘EXPONENTIAL COSTS’ ON US, PROLONGING WAR: ‘ASYMMETRIC CAPABILITY’
F-4 and F-14 jets from Iran and Russian MiG-29 aircraft perform a demonstration flight at the 9th International Iran AirShow on Kish Island, Hormozgan, Iran, on Nov. 27, 2018. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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In November 2023, Brig. Gen. Mahdi Farahi, Iran’s deputy defense minister, told Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency, that plans had been finalized for Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters and Yak-130 trainers to join the country’s armed forces.
Tasnim reported that Iran previously acquired MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia in the 1990s.
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Gun rights expert says Minnesota Dems tried to block her testimony on firearm bills to ‘avoid’ policy debate
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A Second Amendment expert is accusing Minnesota Democrats of attempting to sideline policy advocates as they push for passage of a pair of gun control bills, arguing the lawmakers are leaning on emotional appeals instead of debating the measures’ real-world impact.
Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom who specializes in gun policy, told Fox News Digital in an interview that Democratic members of a Minnesota House panel appeared to arbitrarily reject her written testimony ahead of a key hearing on the bills and resisted allowing her to testify in person. Swearer was ultimately able to testify for about two minutes.
«I think really at the core of it, that’s what they wanted to avoid, to the extent that they could keep this focused on the Annunciation shooting, and to prevent people like myself from coming in and saying, well, first of all, these policies would not have prevented a single death,» Swearer said.
Displays of rifles at the gun show held Sunday at the Stillwater armory. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Democratic offices of the committee did not respond to multiple requests for comments since Friday.
The hearing included heavy moments during which parents of victims and victims themselves of last year’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis testified in support of the bills. The shooter, who later died by suicide, killed two young children and injured more than two dozen others.
«Parents in our community don’t sleep all the way through the night anymore,» Jackie Flavin, who lost her 10-year-old daughter Harper in the shooting, testified. «Because when we send our children out into the world, we know that there are weapons out there capable of turning an ordinary morning into something unthinkable in seconds.»
In reaction to the mass shooting in Minneapolis at Annunciation Church, students rally at the capitol demanding state and federal lawmakers pass bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The two bills, as they are currently written, are stalled in committee after receiving a 10-10 tie vote along party lines at the close of the contentious hearing.
Swearer said the committee rejected her written testimony, which included an analysis of multi-victim shootings in the state, because it contained hyperlinks, which was against committee rules. She accused Democrats on the committee of selectively enforcing that rule against her but not against others.
«I want to be clear, that was very emotional. It was difficult. These were grieving people, and understandably so, but that I think very clearly is what the Democrats wanted to focus on, the emotion of it,» Swearer said. «They did not want this to turn into a battle of actual experts on policy.»
The bills were part of a sweeping gun control package introduced by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in response to the church shooting.
One of the bills would broadly ban future sales of many «semiautomatic military-style assault weapons» by redefining the firearms under state law and would impose new restrictions on current owners of such guns. The other would prohibit the manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines, which the bill defines as those with more than ten rounds.
Swearer, who was invited to the hearing by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, said the bills were unconstitutional.
NRA SUES CALIFORNIA OVER BAN ON GLOCK-STYLE FIREARMS: ‘VIOLATES THE SECOND AMENDMENT’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center Oct. 1, 2024, in New York City. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
«They’re problematic from start to finish,» she said, adding that the first bill was «one of the most restrictive gun bans I have ever seen in terms of the definition.»
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The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus’s director of governor relations, Anna Leamy, also testified against the bills during the hearing and noted that Swearer and other «national experts and everyday Minnesotans» were limited from participating, which Swearer said «goaded» Democrats into allowing her to speak for two minutes.
The National Foundation for Gun Rights said its executive director, Hannah Hill, was also told she could not testify. Committee chairs typically limit witness participation at hearings for time purposes, but those restrictions can spur accusations of selectively suppressing certain voices.
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