The sprawling and mounting financial fraud scandal in Minnesota continues to percolate, and the fact that it is not fading from news cycles lends credence to its impact. Two factors are making this story significant: the size of the corruption and the length of time it has been in existence.
Those implicated offer an unintended admission in their defense: they insist they weren’t lax about policing the problem, claiming they’ve spent years rooting out the fraud. This backs up the length it has played out, but also indicates some levels of permissiveness are highly likely. With the amounts found scammed, and for such a duration, it almost certainly means those in charge had to be aware of or facilitate the process in some capacity.
The revelation also takes us to a new arena of thought. Once you consider the size and scope of this scandal, the prominence of politicians from that state takes on a new level of curiosity. Why do some names from the North Star State have national prominence, and why does the party tout these otherwise unimpressive figures? The money becomes a more logical explanation.
A look at who we are referring to has this fiscal connection making a lot more sense.
Tim Walz
When the governor was tabbed for the Democratic Party ticket last year, there was plenty of curious head-scratching behind the move. The man was not considered a political powerhouse, and his birthday-party-clown-like behavior on the campaign only backed this up. The thought was that this was a selection based on currying favor with the Muslim vote in Minneapolis and Michigan, as conflict regarding Israel was central in the party.
This was a partial explanation, but not because Walz draws voters, but donors. He showed himself to be a hunter who could not handle firearms and a football coach who could not diagram a play; this is a man who does not move the political needle, but he could raise the bottom line financially. In a telling foreshadowing moment, there he was during the vice presidential debate, bragging about how he has facilitated the process for those looking to enter the childcare business. And when you recall that Kamala Harris spent over $1.5 billion on her truncated campaign, the arrival of Walz from the area where billions have been bilked begins to make a lot more sense.
Keith Ellison
He has emerged as a major player within the Somali community and the fraudulent agencies operating in the state. An audio tape emerged of him ostensibly promising services to a later convicted fraudster, and he has collected donations from the players in the scandal. As the state’s attorney general, the level of fraud under his watch is all the more curious.
His involvement to this degree might explain why it was the Democrat Party tolerated Ellison’s presence when he had been caught up in the #MeToo episodes, back in 2018. At a time when people implicated in the accusations of the era were quickly canceled, Ellison faced accusation and the party kept him on as Deputy Director of the DNC before he moved to Minnesota to run for the AG position.
Ken Martin
The new head of the DNC is a charisma-free longtime political operative who is not exactly a household name. But Martin not coincidentally hails from the same state. His efforts since being voted in in early 2025 have been focused on fundraising, and he is credited with hitting record money targets for his time in the office. That he has done this while the party has record-low approval numbers — even within its own voting base — is quite the curiosity. Now that we see the level of slush funds available in his state through the fraud, things grow all the more curious.
Ilhan Omar
A favorite on the news shows, Ilhan has been the very symbol of Minnesota’s controversies. The firebrand from Minneapolis is regularly the focus of congressional discipline, and somehow she manages to skate responsibility. The Democrat Party appears particularly tolerant of her activities despite not delivering much in the way of significant legislation to benefit the party.
Her congressional record is mostly populated with pet projects focused on Muslim-based Middle East affairs, such as rolling back Sanctions on Syria. Adding to her being a problematic figure who is not delivering prominent legislation, she has become the focus of curious personal wealth accumulation in just the past couple of years. Omar embodies this Minnesota graft issue.
This is a curious list of figures with a significant position in the Democrat Party while possessing a limited amount of obvious political heft. When looking for reasons why these names are regarded in this fashion, the swirling fraud scandal and the blossoming totals of graft are certainly eyebrow-raising details worth deeper consideration.
