A federal investigation into a major Minnesota fraud case is expanding and now drawing interest from whistleblowers, mayors and state lawmakers, House Oversight Chairman James Comer said Tuesday in an interview with Fox News.
“The walls are caving in on Tim Walz,” Comer, R-Ky., said on “America’s Newsroom.”
Comer argued the alleged fraud has had broad consequences for Minnesotans, saying it has contributed to pressure on state services. He also claimed the misconduct involved fraudulent billing for government programs and alleged some of it was tied to individuals within Minnesota’s Somali community.
Comer and other Republicans have recently focused on the case, which he said dates back to at least 2020 and involves fraudulent billing for a range of government services.
Comer said his committee is coordinating with federal agencies and plans to subpoena records and testimony as it works to determine where the money went and who may be responsible.
Although Comer criticized Walz’s handling of the issue, he did not call for the governor to resign.
“He deserves due process, and we’re going to give him due process,” Comer said.
Comer also took aim at comments he said Walz made recently about handling the matter without congressional involvement.
“One of the things he said in the last 48 hours was that the Oversight Committee didn’t need to worry about this investigation, that he would take care of it. No one in America believes that…. We are going to investigate this,” Comer said.
Comer emphasized the role of whistleblowers in the inquiry, saying state employees have come forward.
“The key to a good congressional investigation is having whistleblowers. And, fortunately for us, we have some state employees who have bravely stepped forward. We’re going to get them under oath, and they’re going to tell us everything they know. And we’re going to go from there,” he said.
Separately, a group of nearly 100 Minnesota mayors sent a letter Monday to Walz and other state officials, writing in part that “Fraud, unchecked spending and inconsistent fiscal management in St. Paul have trickled down to our cities… Our state owes it to our citizens to practice responsible fiscal management and to stop taxing our families, seniors and businesses out of Minnesota.”
Walz, who is running for a third term, addressed the situation in recent remarks to reporters.
“This is on my watch. I am accountable for this. And more importantly, I am the one that will fix it,” Walz said.
At the same time, Walz questioned whether federal prosecutors’ suggestions that the fraud could total in the billions were politically motivated.
“You should be equally outraged about $1 or whatever that number is, but they’re using that number without the proof behind it,” Walz said. “But to extrapolate what that number is for sensationalism, or to make statements about it, it doesn’t really help us.”
A spokesperson for Walz criticized the investigation in a statement published in the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“This is clearly a coordinated political attack to try to silence one of the President’s most effective critics. The Governor takes fraud seriously and wishes they would too.”
