Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) will testify in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on March 4 as part of the panel’s second hearing regarding the Minnesota fraud scandal, Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced Friday.
Walz will testify alongside Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Walz and Ellison have faced immense pressure over the fraud that was reported in several state health services programs, with most of the defendants being of Somali descent.
“Americans deserve answers about the rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars in Minnesota’s social services programs that occurred on Governor Walz’s and Attorney General Ellison’s watch,” Comer said in a statement. “The House Oversight Committee recently heard sworn testimony from Minnesota state lawmakers who stated that Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison failed to act to stop this widespread fraud and retaliated against whistleblowers who raised concerns.”
Walz dropped his reelection bid earlier this year as the fallout over the scandal rocked his political career.
“I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all,” Walz said during a press conference on Jan. 5, hours after releasing a statement. “Every minute that I spend defending my own political interest would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who want to prey on our differences.”
The first hearing, on Jan. 7, included testimony from state Reps. Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson, and Marion Rarick, all of whom are Republicans. The hearing consisted of many pointed fingers and barbs in heated exchanges.
The investigation was launched last year, and the committee has called on state officials to testify in closed-door, transcribed interviews, while also requesting suspicious activity reports from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, along with a staff-level briefing from the Justice Department.
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The issue heated up in recent months when President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post that he was terminating temporary protected status for Somalis in the state. The president’s move came after a City Journal report alleged millions of Minnesota taxpayer dollars were stolen in the fraud scheme.
The scandal subsequently took on a life of its own thanks to a viral video by YouTuber Nick Shirley.