Jordan: Minnesota officials 'assisted' billions in welfare fraud

By Elyse Apel
The Center Square 

Congressional scrutiny is intensifying over alleged billions in welfare fraud in Minnesota, with House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan accusing state officials of assisting the scheme.

Jordan said in an interview that Minnesota Democrats will face increased scrutiny in the coming months.

“They knew there was fraud because whistleblowers came forward and they just ignored it. In fact, it looks like they retaliated against them,” Jordan said. “In many ways, I think they actually assisted the fraud. It wasn't just like: ‘We’re going to look the other way.’ They actually assisted the fraud.”

He pointed to concerns about the actions of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who Jordan said met with and received political donations from one of the organizations involved in the fraud scandals.

“He met with them, and then he got political contributions,” Jordan said. “Then the money kept flowing, of course, to this organization.”

Ellison has rejected claims that he enabled fraud, saying his office cooperated with federal prosecutions. In the hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee last week, he denied meeting with any fraudsters or taking donations from them.

“That’s a lie,” Ellison said in response to accusations from Republicans.

Jordan also pointed out that Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, announced he will not be running for re-election this year.

"If it was Republicans' fault, if it wasn't really his fault, if they didn't know it about this, if there hadn't been whistleblowers coming forward, you know he would be running for re-election – but he's not, because this thing is real."

The accusations come just after officials in the Trump administration called the widespread welfare fraud in Minnesota “the single greatest theft of taxpayer dollars through welfare fraud in American history.”

“We believe that the Somali fraud operation in Minnesota is the single greatest theft of taxpayer dollars through welfare fraud in American history,” said Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, in an interview earlier this week.

Independent and federal investigations are ongoing after billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded fraud schemes were uncovered in recent months, as extensively reported by The Center Square, with claims the fraud could total between $9 billion and $20 billion in Minnesota alone.

According to Miller, the fraudulent practices included falsely claiming children had autism to obtain benefits, enrolling individuals in food assistance programs who were never eligible or enrolled, and “engaging in massive fraud, lying, theft, and grift on a scale we’ve never seen before in American history.”

Since the story first broke a few months ago, numerous arrests have been made and federal investigations remain ongoing. Congress has also turned its attention to the issue, probing everything from welfare fraud to the finances of Somalia-born U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.

In January, the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance held a hearing on the Minnesota fraud investigation.

During that hearing, both Democrats and Republicans acknowledged that fraud is widespread throughout government welfare programs. However, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said the federal fraud investigations in Minnesota are targeted.

“Fraud is not headquartered in one state, for one municipality, much less one ethnic, racial or religious community,” Raskin said. “But, President Trump couldn't resist the temptation to use fraud in Minnesota as an occasion to mobilize the power of the federal government to bully and intimidate first and second generation Somali Americans who live in that state.”

Jordan said more focus needs to be placed on the alleged theft of “billions of dollars of American taxpayer money,” adding that the Justice Department will investigate the alleged widespread fraud nationwide.

“We need more focus . . . it needs to be a focus nationwide,” Jordan said. “Where is this also happening? Not just in Minneapolis, but where else is this going on?”

* * *

••• Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 27 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service – and want it to continue – it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.