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Lawmaker cites Comer report alleging Minnesota officials knew of fraud in state programs
Summary
A lawmaker said a report from James Comer of the oversight committee shows Minnesota officials Tim Walz and Keith Ellison knew about fraud in state-run programs and failed to act, claiming billions flowed to fraudsters; the remarks also praised federal enforcement and said whistleblowers were retaliated against. No response from the named officials appears in the transcript.
A lawmaker said a new report from James Comer of the oversight committee shows Minnesota officials Tim Walz and Keith Ellison knew about widespread fraud in state-run programs and failed to act.
The lawmaker told the House that “Tim Walz and Keith Ellison had 7 years to stop the fraud” and that, during that time, “billions” flowed to what the speaker called Somali fraudsters. The speaker said the report also alleges retaliation against whistleblowers who tried to stop wrongdoing.
The remarks centered on the Comer report as the factual basis for the assertions. The lawmaker said, “Chairman Comer’s report confirms what we all know to be true,” and accused the named officials of creating conditions that allowed fraud while leaving taxpayers and vulnerable Minnesotans exposed.
The speaker contrasted state officials’ conduct with federal enforcement, saying the Trump administration’s White House fraud task force is “turning off the spigots” and that the Department of Justice is prosecuting fraudsters. The lawmaker also stated that “Vice President JD Vance announced he is referring [the alleged failures] to the DOI’s new fraud division for criminal investigation,” presenting that referral as a recent development.
The lawmaker urged stronger oversight and said House Republicans would “strengthen government programs to defend against fraud and serve the vulnerable Americans they are actually intended for.” The remarks concluded with the claim that the allegations are “just the tip of the iceberg” and that those responsible “can’t hide from accountability.”
The transcript records these assertions as the lawmaker’s floor remarks; it does not include a response from the officials named, nor does it provide documentary evidence of the specific allegations within the excerpted remarks. Dollar figures and the seven-year timeframe were stated by the speaker and are quoted here as assertions from the floor rather than independently verified figures.
No formal motion or vote on the matter is recorded in the transcript.
