Tim Walz called by House Republicans to testify on alleged Minnesota fraud

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are stepping up their investigation into Minnesota’s extensive fraud schemes, setting a hearing next week and demanding answers from Gov. Tim Walz’s administration about what they say are glaring oversight failures.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced that lawmakers will hold a hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 7, to consider the fraud scandal, its extent, and whether state leadership can do anything to prevent exploitation.

“Congress has a duty to strictly police this rip-off and impose stronger safeguards to prevent fraud in taxpayer-funded programs, while also imposing strong sanctions to hold criminals accountable,” Comer said in a statement Wednesday morning. he said.

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While the committee will also hear testimony from lawmakers in Minnesota, Republican lawmakers believe the answers to how the problem got so big belong to the Walz administration.

“Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are either asleep at the wheel or complicit in a massive fraud involving taxpayer dollars in Minnesota’s social service programs. American taxpayers demand and deserve to be held accountable for the theft of their hard-earned money,” Comer said.

The committee will hear from Reps. Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson and Marion Rarick, Republican members of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

It’s unclear whether Walz or Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison will accept the invitation.

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Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks at a get-out-the-vote rally on October 22, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The hearing is part of the committee’s own investigation into the Minnesota fraud and is a separate effort from ongoing FBI investigations.

The Oversight Committee’s announcement comes as new revelations about fraud in Minnesota reveal the state could lose up to $9 billion due to misuse of government aid programs.

In recent months, investigators have uncovered extensive fraud schemes posing as day care providers, medical providers, food assistance programs and more. These schemes allegedly siphoned off billions of dollars of government funds by producing services or increasing the number of people they claimed to serve.

“In addition to conducting written interviews with Minnesota state officials, the House Oversight Committee will hold hearings on fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs to expose failures, identify solutions and ensure accountability,” Comer said.

Given their size and frequency, lawmakers have raised questions about how a state’s lack of awareness of its own programs can be so easily exploited.

Comer believes lawmakers who agree to testify before the committee will provide insight into the visibility of fraud rings and whether Walz had knowledge of their extent before the shocking reports that made Minnesota’s shortcomings a matter of national interest.

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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said Friday that former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton face contempt of Congress charges if they do not cooperate with the panel’s investigation of Epstein. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Next week, we will hear from Minnesota state lawmakers who raised alarms about this fraud and whose warnings were ignored by the Walz administration. This abuse cannot be brushed aside, and Congress will not rest until taxpayers get the answers and accountability they deserve,” Comer said.

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Walz’s office did not respond to a request for comment on whether Fox Digital would attend next week’s hearing.