House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, the highest-ranking Republican in Minnesota, said he hopes Democrat Gov. Tim Walz leaves office in handcuffs as a sprawling fraud scandal continues to engulf the state.
Emmer accused the governor of failing to hold his administration accountable and presiding over what the congressman called criminal misconduct, the New York Post reported.
Emmer sharply criticized Walz over years of alleged mismanagement of the state's social-service programs and claims by whistleblowers that they were retaliated against for raising concerns.
"He has not held anyone in his administration accountable, and he's a coward," Emmer said. "He refuses to take accountability for himself. I think he should resign; this is so bad. And regardless, I hope he leaves the office in cuffs because what he's done is criminal."
The comments came days after Walz, once the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee, suddenly announced he would not seek reelection to a third term as governor, a move that stunned political observers and intensified scrutiny of his handling of the fraud investigations.
In a short address to reporters announcing his withdrawal, Walz cited the fallout from the growing welfare and social-service fraud scandal. He declined to take questions, a decision that drew criticism from local media outlets and political opponents.
The following day, Walz held a second, more combative press conference in which he forcefully rejected calls for him to resign before the end of his term.
"You can make all your requests for me to resign — over my dead body will that happen," Walz said, visibly angry as he addressed reporters.
Emmer said he was struck by the governor's demeanor during that appearance.
"How often have you seen that?" Emmer said. "It's just a bizarre set of events, and he was totally coming unglued; he was spiraling out of control in that second press conference."
State and federal officials estimate that at least $1 billion in taxpayer funds has been stolen. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson has testified that the total amount of fraud could exceed $9 billion dating back to 2018.
Emmer suggested the full scope of the scandal may be even larger than what has been publicly disclosed and said Walz's sudden decision to abandon his reelection bid reflects that reality.
"I think it's worse than we believe it is. And I think he knows that," Emmer said. "Keep in mind, we've been trying to sound the alarm on this for years, and nobody in the Twin Cities media would report it."
Last week, Emmer participated in a GOP-led House Oversight Committee hearing examining fraud allegations in Minnesota.
During the hearing, Republican state lawmakers and witnesses described allegations that whistleblowers were punished or sidelined after raising concerns and claimed the Walz administration weakened or ignored internal watchdogs responsible for overseeing social-service programs, the Post reported.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, has since invited Walz to testify at a follow-up hearing scheduled for next month.
Walz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has said his administration has cooperated with law enforcement investigations.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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