Tim Walz took aim at Donald Trump's criticisms of the Somali community when pressed on whether he took responsibility for failing to stop fraud in Minnesota, as several within the community were charged in connection with a fraud scheme.
Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., fired back at President Donald Trump on Sunday during an appearance on "Meet the Press," as host Kristen Welker asked if he wanted to take "responsibility" for failing to stop fraud in his state.
The Justice Department announced new charges last week against the 78th defendant in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, which prosecutors say involved more than $250 million in stolen funds from a federally-funded child nutrition program and has already resulted in over 50 convictions. Many of the individuals charged come from Minnesota's Somali community.
In a Truth Social post on Thanksgiving, Trump tore into Walz, who the president called "seriously r------d," and accused him of doing nothing "either through fear, incompetence." The president said in the post, "hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota. Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for 'prey' as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone."
"Well, certainly I take responsibility for putting people in jail. Governors don't get to just talk theoretically. We have to solve problems and I will note, it's not just Somalis. Minnesota is a generous state; Minnesota is a prosperous state; a well-run state; we are AAA bond-rated; but that attracts criminals. Those people are going to jail; and we are doing everything we can; but to demonize an entire community on the actions of a few; it's lazy," Walz said.
Trump said in a Nov. 21 Truth Social post that he would be terminating the temporary protected status for Somalis in Minnesota, citing "fraudulent money laundering activity." "Send them back to where they came from. It's OVER!" he wrote.
Walz accused Trump of cutting programs that could help Minnesota tackle this.
"So we are, we'll take it on and put folks in jail. I don't care what your nationality is, I don't care who your religion is, your color, if you're committing crimes. These were programs meant to serve students with autism, housing, making sure people had enough to eat. There's a reason Minnesota ranks as the top lowest childhood poverty, best place for children to live. That is disconnected with demonizing an entire group of people who came here fleeing civil war and created a vibrant community that makes Minnesota and this country better," Walz continued.
He insisted Trump wouldn't fix any fraud. Earlier in the discussion, Walz was asked to respond to the Truth Social post from the president.
"Look, Donald Trump insulting me is a badge of honor for me," Walz said, "but I think we all know, both as an educator for a couple of decades and as a parent, using that term, is just so damaging. It's hurtful."
He referred to Trump's use of the r-word. "We have fought three decades to get this out of our schools; kids know better than to use it. Look, this is what Donald Trump has done. He's normalized this type of hateful behavior and this type of language; mainly, look, at first, I think it's just because he's not a good human being; but secondly, it's to distract from his incompetency."
The New York Times reported that what initially appeared to many Minnesotans as an isolated case of pandemic-era fraud has broadened into a much wider concern for state and federal officials.
The New York Times reported on Saturday that over the past five years, according to law enforcement authorities, several fraud schemes proliferated in parts of Minnesota's Somali community. A number of individuals allegedly created companies that billed state agencies for millions of dollars' worth of social services that were never delivered.
Walz addressed the fraud at a press conference last week, saying it "undermines trust in government," and "undermines programs that are absolutely critical in improving quality of life."
"If you're committing fraud, no matter where you come from, what you look like, what you believe, you are going to go to jail," Walz said.