Republicans believe that Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison not only knew about the fraud in their state, but helped cover it up. And if they did, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) wants to see them in jail.
Fraud happens in every state, but what happened in Minnesota is simply inexcusable.
Walz and Ellison are either incompetent or complicit. Either way, neither of them should ever collect another taxpayer-funded paycheck again.
Walz has been trying to play the victim, and during the most recent hearing, he went for the “gosh, I didn’t know” defense.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) was in prime form, firing shot after shot at Walz, who often claimed he either did not know or did not have the information being requested.
As Mace pounded away, making Walz look utterly foolish, Walz finally shot back, “I’m the governor of Minnesota, congresswoman - I'm not here to be your prop for your obsession!”
Mace embarrassed the man, but not with snide comments or a long rant. She simply asked him questions he should have known. She had the answers, and he did not, and that pretty much sums up his time as governor.
It did not stop there for Walz, who later got obliterated by Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) with one of the most epic takedowns I have ever seen during a hearing.
Fallon floated a theory about how Walz came to be the VP pick for Harris, stating, "It's been widely reported that, in 2008, when Barack Obama was choosing his vice-presidential candidate, he had three criteria. He wanted to make sure he picked someone that wasn't as smart as him and had less talent and charisma and couldn't possibly outshine him, so he picked Joe Biden.
"And then Joe Biden in 2020 used the exact same criteria. He wanted to make sure he picked somebody that wasn't as smart as him, had less talent and charisma and wouldn't outshine him. And he picked Kamala Harris." He then added, "I think it's very evident why Kamala Harris picked you."
Usually, I prefer for the hearings to stay serious and on point, but I think this shot by Fallon was something the American people needed to hear simply because it is true. Walz is either incompetent or pretending to be, and I sure don’t think it’s the latter.
I have immersed myself in this case, and I agree with Emmer that it seems likely that Walz’s administration was looking the other way on the fraud to avoid a PR nightmare.
To that point, he stated, "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.”
He continued, "If these two guys are dirty, they should be held accountable, and they should serve jail time."
The sad reality, however, is that when we do catch officials, they are often let off the hook, and this administration has not been immune to allowing that to happen. Trump’s DOJ dropped the charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams, and he pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX). Adams was facing bribery charges, and Cuellar had already been indicted. If we don’t hold them accountable, this nonsense will just continue.
