Minnesota Republicans blast Walz administration in congressional fraud hearing

Minnesota’s sprawling Medicaid fraud crisis went under the congressional microscope in a marathon hearing that saw Republicans attack Gov. Tim Walz and the state’s Somali community while Democrats decried President Donald Trump’s pardoning of individuals convicted of federal fraud charges.

State Republican Reps. Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson and Marion Rarick testified at the Jan. 7 hearing and took questions from members of Congress. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, of Minnesota, accused Walz of failing to safeguard taxpayer dollars and attacked the state’s Somali community as responsible for the fraud.

“It was purposeful and it’s no coincidence that this is occurring largely in the Somali community,” Emmer said.

The hearings come on the heels of Walz’s announcement on Jan. 5 that he will not seek re-election amid the growing fraud crisis. The issue has sparked national scrutiny, including from President Donald Trump. The governor’s office has maintained that the hearings are “a coordinated political attack to try to silence one of the president’s most effective critics.”

Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison have been called to testify before the committee in February.

Minnesota is grappling with a fraud crisis in its Medicaid program. So far, 15 people have been charged in federal court for allegedly stealing from programs meant to help disabled adults find housing and support young people with autism. Indictments against the 15 accuse them of collectively stealing more than $32 million. On Jan. 6, Minnesota’s Office of the Legislative Auditor detailed widespread problems in the state’s administration of behavioral health grants.

In announcing a round of indictments last month, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson predicted the Medicaid fraud could top $9 billion, an eyepopping figure more than 280 times higher than the fraud detailed in indictments so far. Republicans have seized on that figure while Walz accused Thompson of “defamation” and “speculating about things with no factual information.”

“The breadth and depth of this fraud is breathtaking, and I fear that this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Comer said.

Robbins, a Maple Grove Republican who is running for governor, also accused the Walz administration of “willfully [turning] a blind eye to crime.”

“The Walz administration has been gaslighting Minnesotans on the scale of the fraud problem for years,” Robbins said.

Walz has acknowledged Minnesota’s fraud problem and said he’s ultimately responsible as governor. But he has lambasted Republicans for “political gamesmanship” on fraud and for not criticizing Trump for pardoning fraudsters and spreading lies about the assassination of former House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman.

“Every minute I spend defending my own political interests 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 prey on our differences,” Walz said Jan. 5 in announcing he would end his campaign.

Trump shared on social media a baseless conspiracy theory that Walz was involved in the killing of the Hortmans. None of the three Minnesota lawmakers condemned Trump for sharing lies about the Hortmans’ murders when given the chance during the hearing.

“I’m not doing a raise your hand,” Robbins said as U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., pressed them to raise their hands if they thought it was an “appropriate action” by Trump to elevate the conspiracy.

Robbins said the Hortmans’ alleged killer, Vance Boelter, “had in his vehicle evidence saying he thought Tim Walz was ordering him to do it.”

“I know the facts will come out in the case,” Robbins said, adding that lawmakers should be respectful of the Hortmans and allow the issue to play out in court.

Robbins also endorsed claims that money stolen from the state’s Medicaid program made its way into the hands of Islamic terrorists. The claim, citing a retired police officer and anonymous sources, was published in City Journal in November.

“Republicans want to cut benefits and attack states with Democratic governors,” he said, adding that the focus on fraud in blue states has “unleashed bigotry and hate.”

Following opening statements, questioning quickly zeroed in on Minnesota’s Somali community. Most of the dozens of defendants in the Medicaid fraud and Feeding Our Future scheme are of East African descent, though Amy Bock, the head of Feeding Our Future, is white.

U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, alleged that Democrats covered up fraud in state programs to ensure political support from Somali voters. Hudson, a Republican state representative from Albertville, said he thinks fraud was allowed to go on unchecked “because it was politically beneficial to Democrats.”

“The Somali community is a huge constituency group. We’ve had some tight races in Minnesota. It makes a difference for them,” said Hudson, who worked in the past to build relationships between Minnesota Republicans and the Somali community.

Democrats on the committee criticized Republicans for what they saw as a one-sided interest in fraud. Garcia noted that Trump had pardoned several high-profile defendants convicted of Medicare fraud, employment tax fraud and other tax crimes. He questioned Robbins over whether she agreed with the pardons, which she said she hadn’t looked into.

This story contains material from the Associated Press.