Chairman Comer launches investigation into massive fraud in Minnesota on Governor Walz's watch

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) launched an investigation Wednesday into what he refers to as “widespread fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs under Governor Tim Walz’s watch, the state’s efforts to cover it up, and retaliation against whistleblowers who sought to protect taxpayer dollars.”

The committee sent letters to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, seeking “documents, communications, and records as part of the Committee’s investigation,” according to a press release. 

“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating reports of widespread fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs. The Committee has serious concerns about how you as the Governor, and the Democrat-controlled administration, allowed millions of dollars to be stolen,” Chairman Comer wrote to Governor Walz. 

“The Committee also has concerns that you and your administration were fully aware of this fraud and chose not to act for fear of political retaliation. The Committee therefore requests documents and communications showing what your administration knew about this fraud and whether you took action to limit or halt the investigation into this widespread fraud,” he added.

Federal prosecutors have already charged dozens of individuals in the state with stealing more than $240 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future. While they claimed to have served thousands of meals to children during the COVID-19 pandemic, very few of them were actually provided. 

“Instead, the defendants allegedly used taxpayer funds to purchase luxury cars, homes, and real estate,” according to the release.