North Carolina Rep. Brad Knott told Newsmax on Wednesday that an alleged Minnesota fraud scandal is "just the tip of the iceberg," saying lawmakers are trying to determine both how far the alleged scheme goes and how it was able to continue.
The first question, Knott said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Early," is "just how deep does this conspiracy go?"
He added that the scandal extends beyond what has already been publicly reported.
"Obviously, the Somalians have come to the United States. They have stolen what amounts to 100% of their national GDP. And that's just what we know of," he said.
Knott said a second issue is how those involved gained political protection in Minnesota, pointing to state officials and to reporting he credited with exposing the case.
"But secondly ... how did they secure the political favor within the Democratic Party to have what was very obvious fraud?" said Knott, adding that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison "were very aware of what was going on."
"They had whistleblowers," Knott said. "The facts were obvious. [Independent journalist] Nick Shirley had an iPhone, and he blew it wide open."
Asked about government funding negotiations ahead of a Jan. 30 deadline and comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Knott criticized Democrats' posture on immigration and enforcement.
"Yeah, you know, she's right in line with the Democratic Party," he said. "The Democratic Party, over the last five years, made it very clear they are the party that wants illegal immigration."
"They want mass migration," he added. "They want to flood every neighborhood with folks around the world who are here illegally."
Knott said Democrats oppose removals regardless of criminality or length of time in the country.
"But it's very obvious they do not want to remove anyone who is here illegally – whether they're a criminal, whether they just got here, whether or not they've been here for more than a year," he said.
"If you're here illegally, the Democratic Party wants you to stay," Knott said. "They want to give you money, and they ultimately want to give you the right to vote so that they can have unchecked political power."
Meanwhile, Knott said that it will be "tough" for Congress to pass a spending bill before the Jan. 30 deadline, but Republicans are trying to keep the government open.
"The Democratic Party, like Ilhan Omar is locked in and they're focused on trying to remove any authority, any political win, anything positive that could be attributed to this president and to this Republican Party in Congress," said Knott.
"When those are the postures beforehand, it's going to be very difficult to get a deal done, but the Republicans are working hard to try to make sure the government stays open and that people are safe in this country," he said.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.