Minn. Employee Group Slams Gov. Walz Over Fraud Scandal

A group representing more than 480 employees from Minnesota's Department of Human Services has strongly rebuked Democrat Gov. Tim Walz for what it said is a massive social services fraud scheme under his watch, as well as efforts to retaliate against those who tried to expose it.

As of Nov. 24, 78 people have been charged for alleged participation in the federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of DHS' now-canceled Feeding Our Future program, according to the Department of Justice.

The Minnesota U.S. attorney's office has said the scheme is the nation's largest COVID-19-related fraud.

"Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota," the employee group wrote Saturday on X.

"We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response. Tim Walz systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports.

"Instead of partnership, we got the full weight of retaliation by Tim Walz, certain DFL [Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party] members and an indifferent mainstream media. It's scary, isolating and left us wondering who we can turn to."

The group wrote Monday that its X account — which has more than 31,400 followers — was permanently suspended but later reactivated, "in no small part due to the support of many of you."

"It's actually quite stressful to tweet because we anticipate and expect retaliation," they wrote. "It's the Tim Walz way.

"In fact, in the last 48 hours, we received numerous threats that left us wondering what we can safely post. We foreshadowed something would happen to our X account, too."

The employees' X account also accused Walz, former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in 2024, of weakening safeguards and disempowering the Office of the Legislative Auditor amid rampant fraud.

"This is a cascade of systemic failures leading up to Tim Walz," they wrote.

"Agency leaders appointed by Tim Walz willfully disregarded rules and laws to keep fraud reports quiet — even to the extent of threatening families of whistleblowers.

These same leaders are not qualified for their jobs, instead getting leadership jobs via Tim Walz's friendship so state government was left floundering."

The group said it even warned Harris' camp "multiple times" about Walz "and his incompetence, fraud scandals, and retaliation."

"Maybe Kamala Harris turned a blind eye to fraud like her running mate?" the group wrote.

The group said Walz "is dishonest, lacks ethics and integrity, has poor leadership abilities, and has never taken any accountability for his role in fraud."

"Instead, Tim Walz deflects by blaming national politics for his own failings and distracts the public with inveterate lying," they wrote.

"These lies include his reference of a budget surplus under his tenure.

"Fact is, Minnesota never had a surplus, we had been given federal ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] funds that were conflated as surplus money otherwise, we'd be in a deficit. And those ARPA funds, which were meant to be temporary funds were used to create more leadership positions for Tim Walz' 'buddies.'"

A Walz spokesperson told Newsmax that "the Governor has been clear that if you commit fraud in Minnesota, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. That's why we're seeing fraudsters caught and put in prison."

The spokesperson noted that Walz created a new anti-fraud law enforcement unit that is working with federal authorities "to put fraudsters behind bars."

He also ordered a third-party audit of billing at the state DHS and a pause on payments to 14 programs until those payments are audited.

The governor signed an executive order giving state agencies new tools to prevent and detect fraud, and he approved comprehensive anti-fraud legislation to strengthen those efforts.

He also installed new fraud-prevention-focused leadership at DHS.

Walz is running for a third term as governor in 2026. Minnesota House Speaker Lisa DeMuth is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge him.

"Gov. Walz allowed fraudsters to steal billions and can't even accept basic responsibility, let alone give Minnesotans the apology they are owed for his failure to protect your tax dollars," DeMuth wrote Sunday on X, responding to Walz's interview on "Meet the Press," in which he said Minnesota is a well-run state — and that is why it attracts criminals.