JD Vance takes lead in announcing DOJ's role in MN fraud investigation

By Jerry McConway
updated on January 9, 2026

Vice President JD Vance has been in the background a bit lately, but that just changed in dramatic fashion.

Vance has been very vocal about supporting the ICE officer who shot and killed a woman in what is being described by the agency as an act of self-defense.

The VP also made some big announcements this week regarding federal investigations of allegedly widespread fraud in Minnesota.

Defending the agent

President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem immediately came out to defend the ICE agent who shot and killed a protester this week.

Vance framed the deceased woman's conduct as “an attack” against federal agents.

He posted to X on Thursday, stating, "Every congressional democrat and every democrat who's running for president should be asked a simple question: Do you think this officer was wrong in defending his life against a deranged leftist who tried to run him over?”

Vance added, “These people are going to try to arrest our law enforcement for doing their jobs. The least the media could do is ask them about it.”

Vance hits Walz on fraud

The administration is looking to deflect away from the shooting in any way possible, and Vance wasted no time in going after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has been blistering ICE over the shooting.

Vance hammered Walz, stating, "Look, Tim Walz is a joke. His entire administration has been a joke.”

He continued, “The idea that he's some sort of freedom fighter, he's not. He's the guy who has enabled fraud and maybe, in fact, has participated in fraud.”

Vance later added, "I don't care what Tim Walz says. I care about getting to the bottom of this fraud for the American people."

New DOJ division

The biggest announcement made by Vance this week was that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will be starting up a new division to concentrate on fraud crackdowns.

Vance stated, “We are creating a new assistant attorney general position who will have nationwide jurisdiction over the issue of fraud.”

He continued, “That person’s efforts will start and focus primarily in Minnesota, but it is going to be a nationwide effort, because, unfortunately, the American people have been defrauded in a very nationwide way.”

I love this idea, but again, this should have already been taking place at the federal and state levels. The House has an Appropriations Committee and an Oversight Committee, both of which are supposed to be checking for fraud. So the big question is, why are they not already doing that?

About Jerry McConway

Jerry McConway is the Senior Editorial Director at American Digest Media, as well as the featured columnist on Real Talk Digest. He has been covering politics for more than a decade. His no-nonsense writing style makes him enemy number one in DC. His mission is to tell the truth to readers, good or bad, something the mainstream media has failed to do for decades. What sets Jerry apart from his competition is reader loyalty. They don't always agree with him, but they know he tells them the truth. Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him.

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