Things aren’t looking good for him.
House Republicans are pressing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, for details regarding a significant $250 million COVID-19 fraud scheme. This scheme, one of the most notable relief scams of the pandemic, involved a Minnesota nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, which was intended to provide food for children during the pandemic but instead engaged in fraudulent activities.
On Wednesday, Rep. Virginia Foxx, Chairwoman of the Education and Workforce Committee, issued a subpoena to Walz’s administration and officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Office of Inspector General. Foxx also requested documents from Minnesota Commissioner of Education Willie Jett to clarify the agency’s response to the fraud.
The investigation, which dates back to 2022, focuses on Feeding Our Future’s alleged creation of fake attendance rosters and invoices to falsely claim they were feeding children. The subpoena covers the actions and knowledge of Walz and his administration regarding this scheme.
The committee decided to issue the subpoena after Walz’s office failed to respond to previous requests for information. According to the committee’s letter, the documents provided so far suggest inadequate action from Walz and his team to address the fraud.
Walz’s office has not yet commented on the subpoena. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota has charged at least 70 individuals in connection with the scheme, with 18 pleading guilty and five convicted by a federal jury in June.
In response to a special report by the Office of the Legislative Auditor, which criticized the Minnesota Department of Education’s oversight of Feeding Our Future, Walz defended the state’s actions, saying the issue was not due to malfeasance but a lack of thorough due diligence.
Walz’s controversies have extended beyond this fraud case. Notably, in 1995, he was arrested for speeding and driving under the influence in Nebraska, an incident that has resurfaced in discussions about his past.
