Over the last two weeks, the scandals inside the social services system in Minnesota have been blowing up.
The corruption was not new, by any means, but the coverage of it has changed rather dramatically.
Now, FBI Director Kash Patel is saying that recent revelations are only the start, and the Department of Homeland Security is now committing more resources to exposing the alleged fraud.
All the talk right now is about a video released by independent journalist Nick Shirley, who visited many of the daycare and healthcare centers that are facing accusations of fraud.
As it turns out, these are not the first such videos documenting the scandal.
Footage is making its way around the internet, some of it dating back to 2015, covering a similar fraud case from 2018. The videos show parents dropping off their children at Minnesota daycare centers, but then leaving the premises with the kids in tow only minutes later.
Conservative strategist Greg Price commented on the resurfaced videos, stating, "Somali fraudsters have been stealing from taxpayers for years, and it's clear that the entire Somali community is in on it."
Republican lawmakers in Minnesota are now citing the state’s constitution, calling on Democrat Gov. Tim Walz to resign his position.
For instance, Minnesota state Sens. Bill Lieske and Nathan Wesenberg, as well as state Reps. Marj Fogelman, Drew Roach, and Mike Wiene stated, "Minnesotans have been watching the fraud crisis get worse and worse for years. It has gone on long enough.”
The group's statement continued, "This is not about politics or stunts, and we do not make a call like this lightly. The office of the governor deserves respect, and we have tried to give Gov. Walz time to act."
I still refuse to give anyone in Congress or the state legislature a pass on this. Their job is literally to oversee social services funding to ensure it is being used properly. While the buck stops with Walz, this is an epic failure across the board for city, state, and federal officials.
In just one day, Nick Shirley visited locations where more than a dozen businesses had been established, and now DHS is sending out agents to check to see exactly what is going on there.
Patel stated, “To date, the FBI dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during COVID. The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies, and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network.”
Homeland Security, for its part, added, “DHS is on the ground in Minneapolis, going DOOR TO DOOR at suspected fraud sites. The American people deserve answers on how their taxpayer money is being used and ARRESTS when abuse is found.” The FBI and the DOJ have also committed to expanding operations in the area.
Where there is government money, there will always be fraudsters, but the fact that things spiraled this far out of control shows just how little oversight there really was when it came to taxpayer-funded grants. Our elected officials write the check, then they just look the other way.
