MALONEY: Minnesota Fraud Scheme Shows We Get the Exact Government We Vote For

Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) are doing the American people — and Minnesota taxpayers — a favor without realizing it. Amidst the current fraud scandal, which has found more than a billion dollars funnelled to Somali terror networks and other schemes, the two Democrats have reminded voters that you get the exact government that you vote for, and that buyer’s remorse can only be settled at the ballot box.

 Linked entirely to conspirators within Minnesota’s balkanized Somali community, Democrats are now having to conduct their media half-apology, half-denial tour with their hands in their pockets and their awe-shucks responses of “How could we have possibly known about this?”

They claim, “These ‘attacks’ are racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, blah, blah, blah.”

This is what they do in an attempt to deflect from any real accountability every single time. It’s Déjà Blue — the same old Democrat tricks.

 The Democrats in Minnesota are stuck between a rock and a hard place, however, since ongoing investigations show that while taxpayer dollars linked to COVID-era relief in 2020 did not go to intended targets, the fraud started long before the pandemic. 

The rock is that this has gone on at this large a scale for this long, unnoticed. The hard place is that someone high in the state or federal government either knew this was occurring the whole time or was so inept that their ignorance allowed this massive criminal conspiracy to continue unnoticed.

While the tally is already devastating and likely will reach a much higher loss, it highlights an even bigger issue.

Democrats simply cannot be trusted with power.

It’s not just that the fraud occurred on their watch — it’s that it was either encouraged, overlooked, or even covered up by Democrat leaders at all levels of government

Here’s a quick snapshot of the situation.

In July 2019, just months after Minnesota's Democratic Gov. Tim Walz took office, Minnesota state officials spotted early signs of the fraud that would eventually steal more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds. When reporting their concerns, whistleblowers immediately faced pressure from Democrats and leaders of the charitable group Feeding Our Future, demanding that they stop asking questions, according to multiple former employees at the Minnesota Department of Education.

Before eventually being terminated, according to federal prosecutors, Feeding Our Future had received nearly $250 million in federal funds for serving 91 million meals, which they never actually provided. Instead of that money going to feed children in need, federal officials say it was used to fund the lavish lifestyles of Democrat activists. And more recently, the U.S. Treasury uncovered the fact that millions of dollars from these funds were sent to al Shabaab, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization and al Qaeda affiliate based in Somalia, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. A deeper investigation into this aspect is currently underway.

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READ MORE: Crime Does Pay - Here's How Minnesota Fraudsters Were Living the Good Life While Kids Went Hungry

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Shortly after that, as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the nation, the fraud ramped up to a level that would make even a third-world dictator of a collapsing nation blush.

In 2020, the “charitable group” filed a lawsuit alleging the state had "harmed Feeding Our Future by subjecting it to additional procedural hurdles in violation of federal regulations." The organization claimed the state "intentionally and wrongfully refuse[d] to do business with Feeding Our Future and the community it serves by discriminating … because of Feeding Our Future's race, national origin, color, and religion."

The Democrat rally cry of “It’s because they’re racist,” strikes yet again.

Eventually, a judge dismissed the civil case after the FBI executed search warrants on Feeding Our Future and made its investigation public in January 2022.

Seven months later, federal prosecutors announced criminal charges against 47 people in the Feeding Our Future scandal. The number charged grew to 78 in total, and 59 have since been convicted, with some now awaiting sentencing. Current tallies put the initial number at over $1 billion; many experts say it reaches well into the several billion-dollar mark.

Throughout all of this, no one in the state of Minnesota — not a single employee of the Department of Education, not U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district, Ilhan Omar, and not Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz — has taken any responsibility for this fraud that they allowed, and some would say, encouraged, under their watch.

This was only one example of the massive fraud that’s been taking place in Minnesota under the leadership of Democrats. 

President Trump responded, saying Somali migrants "ripped off" Minnesota and has rightfully referred to the state as a "hellhole." 

As a result of the fraud, Immigration and Customs Enforcement began enhanced operations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, home to the largest population of Somalis in America.

Governor Walz predictably shrieked that the president’s comments were "unprecedented for a United States president," and he denounced Trump's statements as "vile, racist lies and slander towards our fellow Minnesotans." 

Unsurprisingly, he had nothing to say about the massive fraud scheme itself. 

Perhaps Minnesotans should contact his office and let him know what they think about his leadership.

While this entire situation is abhorrent, it highlights a larger, systemic problem. It’s not just about the fraud — it’s about the weak and complicit leadership that not only enables, but often encourages this kind of behaviour.

I’ve long advocated the importance of local elections because of the impact they have both at the local level and in the direction of the country, all driven from the grassroots level. 

Today, we’re seeing this principle play out in Minnesota in a big way, but we’ve seen just as much evidence of the negative impact of the policies that enabled it in New Jersey, California, New York, Virginia, and many other blue states. And on the other side of the coin, we’ve seen the positive impact that effective, ethical, America-first leadership has had under the leadership of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Florida is one of the only states that bucked the absurd COVID tyranny during the pandemic, is actively working to eliminate property taxes, has paid down debt created by previous administrations, and is aggressively holding criminals accountable by prosecuting and sentencing them. 

As a result of Governor DeSantis’s leadership, more people are moving to Florida than any other state, and the state consistently ranks higher than most for education, reducing crime, improving financial outcomes, and starting businesses. 

Florida is also one of the only states actively and effectively pursuing the DOGE agenda, which Elon Musk bravely championed, on a state level. This is something I’ve passionately advocated for because it eliminates the rampant waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars that is destroying our country, and is necessary to solve the debt crisis we’re currently facing. If we fail to do that, it will spell the end of this great nation.

While midterm and presidential elections tend to get the majority of the spotlight 99 percent of the time, the reality is that local elections are even more important. 

The current scandals in Minnesota, New Jersey, California, and other blue states demonstrate that as clearly as is possible, and they act as the proverbial canary in the coal mine. It’s exactly why I work so hard with Citizens Alliance to enact change at the local level by supporting America-first candidates who put the needs of ordinary people above the entrenched political class, lobbyists, and foreign nations.

This goes far beyond partisan poltics — it’s a matter of survival, and we have to take massive action at the local level if we want to save America.

The time to act is now. So the question I have is this: Are you in the fight alongside us to take back our country and put the power back into the hands of ordinary, hardworking citizens?