The alleged fraud tied to Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota may be just the beginning of a broader problem plaguing Democrat-led states, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Tuesday.
In an appearance on Newsmax's "The Chris Salcedo Show," Meadows reacted to reports of widespread fraud involving daycare facilities accused of exploiting government funding.
"That news is not only breathtaking, but it's very concerning for the American taxpayer as we start to see the massive fraud that has been alleged," he said.
"I would echo what [FBI] Director [Kash] Patel is saying: It is the tip of the iceberg."
Meadows said the alleged misconduct extends far beyond Minnesota and a single set of programs, adding that as investigators dig deeper, similar schemes could surface across other blue states' administration of federal assistance programs.
"The deeper we look across a lot of these blue states, it is a conspiracy that continues to rob the American taxpayer," he said.
"I think as we follow the money, you will find not only fraud, but you'll find a lot of campaign contributions that are probably funneled their way as well."
According to Meadows, Democrat officials will likely attempt to deflect blame by pointing to a lack of oversight rather than acknowledging systemic failures.
"They're going to say, 'Oh, well, we didn't have proper oversight,' and start finger-pointing and say, 'We'll get it right next time,'" he said.
"But, no, it's really not something that they can get right."
Meadows said the funding structure showed red flags and that the numbers alone should have raised alarms.
"If you look at the numbers, they're actually paying more per child for these daycare facilities than they're paying for students who are publicly educated year-round," he said.
"Somebody could look at that and say, 'Hey, we probably have a problem here.'"
Instead, Meadows said, officials chose to ignore the warning signs.
"It was too easy to turn a blind eye," he said. "They didn't want to see it."
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