The House Oversight Committee held a hearing on Wednesday into the massive fraud scandal in Democrat-run Minnesota that, by some reports, may run as high as $9 billion.
Republican Committee Chair James Comer (KY-1) kicked off the hearing, "Minnesota social services, which are funded by you, the American taxpayer, are being ripped off."
🚨@RepJamesComer At Fraud Hearing: Americans Are Being Ripped Off
— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) January 7, 2026
"Minnesota social services which is funded by you, the American taxpayer, are being ripped off. The most vulnerable are suffering as a result. Federal prosecutors estimate that these criminals have stolen at least… pic.twitter.com/xZ2HnjVWlj
"The breadth and depth of this fraud is breathtaking, and I fear that this is just the tip of the iceberg."
The panel heard from four witnesses: GOP state Reps. Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson and Marion Rarick, along with Brendan Ballou, a former prosecutor for the Justice Department who is appearing as the Democrats' witness.
Asked how fraud became so widespread in Minnesota, Hudson said that "when people recognized that the system wasn't working and they raised those concerns, those concerns were ignored and a culture suppressing raising those concerns was fostered by the Walz administration," referring to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
It got wild for a moment between Comer and Democrat Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12). Lee started freaking out about the money being frozen.
🔥Reps James Comer, Summer Lee BATTLE Over Fraud
— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) January 7, 2026
Comer: "You have failed. You want to spend more money, more money, more money!" pic.twitter.com/RRTwt6l6UV
But what does she want? To just continue to pour out the money without checking where it's going? It's not cut off permanently, but they have to make sure it's going to the people it's supposed to go to. The problem was the failure to do that means it wasn't going to the people who needed it.
Comer said the inspector generals had failed here, and Lee started screaming back, "You all have failed!"
Um, no, it's the Democrats who were in charge in Minnesota who failed. Comer replied, "You have failed. You want to spend more money, more money, more money!"
But that wasn't the only notable moment. Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13) was questioning Republican state Rep. Kristin Robbins (MN-37A), the head of the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention Committee.
Based on testimony today, I have enough evidence to believe both @GovTimWalz and @keithellison were knowingly complicit in a Somali fraud scheme in Minnesota.
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) January 7, 2026
Therefore I have referred them BOTH to the DOJ for criminal charges. May justice be swift. The American people are tired… pic.twitter.com/aEWM89vTj4
Luna said based on the testimony they had heard during the hearing, she believed there was enough evidence to make criminal referrals to the Department of Justice on both Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and the state's Democrat Attorney General Keith Ellison. That's a big deal.
Comer said he also intended to call the two to testify, and they would be subpoenaed if they didn't come voluntarily.
A spokesperson for Walz did not provide a comment. A spokesperson for Ellison, a former member of Congress, said in a statement the attorney general had aggressively prosecuted fraud and “has put fraudsters in prison while defending our tax dollars and the services they pay for.”
“Attorney General Ellison will respond to Representative Comer’s invitation at the appropriate time,” the Ellison spokesperson added.
Can you imagine Walz testifying - what a mess that would be? I'd definitely break out the popcorn for that one.
Walz has already crumbled and dropped out of his re-election bid because of the scandal. And it's gotten even worse, with now the bombshell legislative audit showing that Department of Human Services records were changed. The feds are also sending a ton of prosecutors there to investigate and prosecute the fraud.
READ MORE: Is This Why Tim Walz Quit? New Bombshell Audit Exposes Even More Minnesota Fraud
DOJ Surges Additional U.S. Attorneys to Minnesota As They Wade Through Deluge of Fraud
So Walz, Ellison, and other Minnesota officials better prepare to answer up.
Editor’s Note: The mainstream media isn't interested in the facts; they're only interested in attacking the president. Please help us continue to get to the bottom of the massive blue-state fraud epidemic by supporting our truth-seeking journalism today.
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