JD Vance is putting Minnesota’s top two Democrats in the Justice Department’s crosshairs. The vice president said Monday he has referred Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison for a criminal fraud probe, citing a House Oversight Committee report that alleges they knew about large-scale failures in state social service programs, reports NBC News. The report claims roughly $300 million in federal child nutrition money and as much as $9 billion in Medicaid-related funds were lost or put at “serious risk.” Oversight Chair James Comer urged Vance, whom Trump named “fraud czar,” to press the White House’s fraud task force to investigate, per the Hill.
Vance wrote on X that Minnesota officials “are not above the law” and should be held accountable if they enabled fraud or misled investigators. Ellison fired back, calling the referral a “political stunt” by an administration that targets opponents and “diminishes public trust in our institutions.” Walz’s office did not comment, but the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee earlier dismissed federal fraud efforts as political payback. After the Trump administration froze $259.5 million in Medicaid funds in February, he advanced legislation stiffening penalties and extending the statute of limitations for certain fraud crimes.
