NEWS HEADLINES: Minn. was ‘singled out and targeted for political retribution’ – One America News Network

OAN Staff Addie Davis
5:11 PM – Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Appearing before a House Oversight hearing on Wednesday, Minnesota Democrat Governor Tim Walz attempted to defend his state’s record against fraud allegations, arguing that the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” is being unfairly targeted.

“The people of Minnesota have been singled out and targeted for political retribution at an unparalleled scale,” Walz (D-Minn.) asserted.

Beyond addressing fraud, Walz’s testimony touched on broader state security, as he highlighted the immigration enforcement efforts known as “Operation Metro Surge.”

“Under the guise of combating fraud, the federal government has flooded Minnesota with masked, untrained, and unaccountable agents who are wreaking havoc in our communities,” he continued. “Let me be clear: In Minnesota, if you defraud public programs, if you steal taxpayer money, we will find you, we will prosecute you, we will convict you, and we will through you in jail,” Walz said.

 

At the hearing, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison also echoed the focus on fraud but remained critical of the federal government’s strategies, asserting that Operation Metro Surge failed to provide any meaningful solution.

“Operation Metro Surge did nothing to address fraud in our state,” Ellison declared. “[But] it dealt a devastating blow to fraud enforcement in Minnesota.”

At another point, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) turned the discussion toward immigration enforcement by presenting a series of photos. His presentation included images of children of illegal aliens whose parents chose to bring them to federal detention centers alongside a photo of 37-year-old Renee Good’s blood-stained car seat.

Garcia then asked Walz to outline how Operation Metro Surge affected Minnesota’s ability to investigate fraud — leading Walz to urge the panel to work with the state to prevent misuse of state programs.

“Right now it’s stymied. There’s no investigators, there’s no U.S. attorneys. The FBI has been decimated. It’s very difficult,” Walz stated.  

Garcia also claimed that there was no evidence the operation — described by him as creating a “reign of terror” — had prevented or reduced fraud in state programs like Medicaid or child nutrition initiatives.

Walz agreed with the statement.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) then grilled Governor Walz over the “Feeding Our Future” scandal, a COVID-era scheme that defrauded federal programs of at least $250 million.

Jordan highlighted a critical lapse in oversight: although payments to the nonprofit were initially halted due to fraud concerns, the state resumed funding just over a month later.

“Why didn’t you tell the truth about why you restarted the payments?” Jordan addressed the Minn. governor.

“My understanding was that the agency believed that the court had required them to make those payments,” Walz replied.

Jordan read aloud from a public court statement, which he said confirmed that the judge had never ordered the continuation of payments to the nonprofit.

“Either you’re lying or the court’s lying, and I’m just asking you, which one is it?” Jordan asked pointedly.

“Could it be you were trying to hide behind the court, Governor?” he added.

Nonetheless, Walz confidently claimed that attorneys had interpreted the order differently.

Jordan went on to highlight how at least 85% of the 98 people indicted in the fraud case were Somali-American, which he described as a “key voting bloc” for Democrats, suggesting this fact likely had a bearing on the governor’s actions.

The hearing follows a wave of fraud allegations involving Somali-run centers in Minnesota, which gained national attention after a viral December 2025 investigative video by YouTuber Nick Shirley.

In the wake of these reports, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) froze all federal childcare funding to the state.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

Sponsored Content Below

Share this post!