EXCLUSIVE: The highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress is calling for a deeper investigation into allegations that leaders in his state government knowingly ignored evidence of welfare fraud, and he called for those leaders to even face incarceration if proven true.

«People are sick and tired of elected officials having a double standard, being treated differently than they are. They’re held accountable for things that they should be held accountable for, when their elected officials are not,» House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital. 

«If these two guys are dirty, they should be held accountable, and they should serve jail time.»

He was referring to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison, two of several witnesses at a high-profile hearing on fraud conducted by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

Both Walz and Ellison insisted that they were serious about prosecuting fraud in the state’s social programs and that they took action to stop it once it was brought to their attention.

But Emmer cited a report by the House Oversight Committee that accused them both of knowing about the fraud earlier than previously thought and delaying public accountability for fear of political retribution from progressives in the state — particularly the Somali community in Minneapolis, who Republicans have accused of taking advantage of the state’s welfare system.

«They might have been able to qualify it enough that it wasn’t black and white, but if they lied to the committee this morning about knowing about the fraud and when they knew about the fraud and the FBI investigation, that is a criminal act of its own,» Emmer told Fox News Digital.

SCATHING AUDIT REVEALS MORE FRAUD CONCERNS INSIDE TOP MINNESOTA AGENCY WITH FABRICATED DOCUMENTS, ‘MISCONDUCT’

«So I do believe, depending on this report and what else the majority staff is doing, they very well may want to call them back in and depose them under oath.»

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison speaks during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill. (Tom Brenner/AP Photo)

He added at another point, «You have maybe 80 to 100,000 Somalis in Minnesota. Tim Walz won with 52%. They made a difference. Keith Ellison won by less than 1%. I think it was 20,000 votes. Makes a difference. So if those are connected, yeah, I mean, this is campaign fraud.»

«I’ve taken accountability for this. I’m not going to run again. I need to spend the time fixing this,» Walz said during the hearing. «This does undermine trust in government. Do I wish there were things that could have happened earlier? Yes. But in this job, ‘wish’ didn’t do it. I’m looking into where I see it.»

CONVICTED MINNESOTA FRAUDSTER ALLEGES WALZ, ELLISON WERE AWARE OF WIDESPREAD FRAUD

At another point, Walz attributed the rise in fraud statistics to an increase in prosecutions, telling Republicans, «When you catch people and prosecute them, it shows up as a fraud increase.»

He also dismissed accusations that he kept whistle-blowers quiet over fear of being seen as Islamophobic, «I can’t speak to it because it’s not anything I would say.»

Ellison, meanwhile, said he was happy to work across bipartisan lines to prosecute fraud.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

«I am here to work to improve this system, and there are improvements that can be made,» he said. «If we can get out of fixing the blame and get to fixing the problem, that would be an enormous thing for me.»

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But Emmer, who maintained that further investigation was needed, suggested he doubted their intentions.

«It’s power. They want power. In order for them to get power, they need to be elected. In order for them to get elected, they have to cheat in different ways. And that is exactly what they did,» Emmer said. «If the Somali community is being used by these public officials to get themselves into office…it sure does look suspect, it needs to be investigated.»

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En los últimos días volvieron a registrarse filas de vehículos en los surtidores de La Paz y Santa Cruz de la Sierra ante el anuncio de demoras en los despachos por parte de Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB).

A través de un comunicado publicado el martes, la petrolera informó que debido al proceso de preparación e incorporación de nuevos aditivos en la gasolina, se podía presentar una “leve demora” en la distribución y que la situación se normalizaría “en las próximas horas”. Sin embargo, hasta las primeras horas de este jueves, las filas continuaban en las estaciones de servicio.

El procedimiento que se realiza en la gasolina se produce en medio de un escándalo por la calidad del combustible al que se atribuye el bajo rendimiento de los vehículos y daños en motores reportados en los últimos meses. Según el Colegio de Ingenieros Mecánicos de Bolivia (CIMB), al menos el 60% de los vehículos que actualmente se encuentran en talleres mecánicos presentan problemas relacionados con el carburante.

El presidente de YPFB, Yussef Alky, admitió en una conferencia de prensa anterior que la petrolera distribuyó combustible contaminado con residuos de goma y manganeso que quedaban en los tanques de almacenamiento heredados de la anterior gestión.

El presidente Rodrigo Paz calificó esta situación como un acto de “sabotaje” dentro de la estatal petrolera y afirmó que ya se tiene identificados a los responsables. Sin embargo, a más de un mes de iniciado el conflicto, aún no se han presentado los presuntos implicados, ni se ha explicado la forma en la que han operado ni tampoco las estrategias para evitar que vulneraciones de ese tipo se repitan en la empresa más grande e importante del país.

Por lo pronto, la petrolera informó que se incorporarán antioxidantes y detergentes para remover partículas, evitar la formación de elementos dañinos y la degradación de la gasolina, lo que es una práctica “ampliamente utilizada a nivel internacional”.

Guido Moreno, presidente del Colegio de Mecánicos, cuestionó lo que considera una falta de planificación. “Es un proceso que se debe hacer de forma profesional, con instalaciones y equipos precisos para este tipo de tareas .Se entiende que se pueda retrasar un poco el despacho, pero debería haber estado planificado”, manifestó en una entrevista televisiva.

En paralelo a este procedimiento, el Gobierno dispuso la militarización de las plantas de YPFB en El Alto, Cochabamba y Santa Cruz con el objetivo de “defender” a la petrolera de “las mafias y de la corrupción”. El presidente Paz señaló que esta decisión apunta a realizar un seguimiento en toda la cadena de producción y distribución para garantizar la trazabilidad de los combustibles.

Bolivia atraviesa desde hace tres años una crisis de carburantes que inició con periodos de desabastecimiento y continúa con problemas para garantizar los estándares de calidad.

Los crecientes problemas de importación por la falta de divisas provocaron periodos de escasez que iniciaron en 2023 y se fueron haciendo cada vez más frecuentes y prolongados. El nuevo gobierno, que tomó posesión en noviembre de 2025, levantó el subsidio a los combustibles que estuvo vigente durante más de 20 años y suponía uno de los mayores gastos públicos. Paralelamente, el suministro se fue regularizando, pero surgieron cuestionamientos sobre los controles y la calidad de la gasolina que se distribuye.

En ese marco, la Cámara de Senadores convocó para este jueves al ministro de Hidrocarburos, Mauricio Medinaceli, para brindar un informe sobre la gasolina y otras cuestiones relacionadas a la estatal petrolera. La cita está programada para las 14:00, hora local.

Iran launched a new wave of attacks on Thursday, with explosions reported in the region and Tehran threatening that the U.S. would «bitterly regret» sinking an Iranian warship.

Iran’s strikes on Thursday targeted Israel, American bases and countries in the region. Israel announced multiple incoming missile attacks as air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense on Thursday said Iran used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in an attack on Nakhchivan International Airport and other civilian infrastructure. The ministry said the details of the attack and the capabilities of the UAVs were being investigated.

«The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan strongly condemns the attacks carried out by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran against civilian infrastructure on the territory of Azerbaijan in the absence of any military necessity. The Islamic Republic of Iran bears the entire responsibility for the incident,» the ministry’s statement read.

Iran has not acknowledged targeting Azerbaijan, despite the country’s ministry of defense pointing the finger at Tehran.

Qatar evacuated residents near the U.S. Embassy in Doha on Thursday, with its Ministry of Defense confirming that the country was «subjected to a missile attack» and that its air defense systems were able to intercept it. The ministry urged the public to remain calm and avoid unofficial information.

Abu Dhabi announced that its authorities were responding to an incident involving falling debris in ICAD 2, which is part of the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi. Six people, identified by Abu Dhabi as Pakistani and Nepali nationals, suffered minor to moderate injuries.

A plume of smoke rises over buildings in Doha, Qatar, on March 5, 2026. (Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images)

FORMER TOPGUN PILOT DECLARES IRAN MILITARY ‘OVER WITH’ AMID US AIR SUPERIORITY, BUT WARNS OF ANOTHER DANGER

Iran has carried out retaliatory strikes since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, with the latest wave coming one day after the U.S. sunk an Iranian warship, killing at least 87 Iranian sailors. Sri Lankan navy spokesman Cmdr. Buddhika Sampath said 32 people were rescued from the wreck and were admitted to a hospital.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the move during a news briefing at the Pentagon.

«An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo — Quiet Death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win,» Hegseth said.

Missile interceptions are seen in the sky on March 5, 2026, in Central Israel. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

ISRAEL’S MILITARY RELEASES VIDEO SHOWING OBLITERATION OF IRAN’S MISSILE LAUNCHERS, DEFENSE SYSTEMS

Iranian leaders condemned the attack, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accusing the U.S. Navy of committing «an atrocity at sea.» Meanwhile, Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli appeared on state television and called for the shedding of Israeli and «Trump’s blood.»

«Fight the oppressive America, his blood is on my shoulders,» he said in a rare call for violence from an ayatollah, one of the highest ranks within the clergy of Shiite Islam.

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The U.S. and Israel launched the war on Saturday with strikes targeting Iran’s leadership, including the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed. Iran’s missile arsenal and nuclear facilities were also hit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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