House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., says he is willing  to subpoena Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor and failed vice-presidential candidate, over a fraud scheme in his state that reportedly saw hundreds of millions of dollars routed through nonprofits to Somali immigrants and others. 

"If anyone that has received correspondence from us thus far requesting information, if they don't turn over that information, then they will get a subpoena. And we're serious about this. We're not going to back down," Comer warned in an interview with Just the News.

The massive fraud scheme initiated largely by individuals of Somali descent reportedly defrauded taxpayers of more than $1 billion through nonprofits like Feeding Our Future, which, critics and prosecutors say, falsely claimed to provide child nutrition, housing assistance, and autism therapy services to nonexistent recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Comer noted to Just The News that Walz and other Minnesota officials, like Attorney General Keith Ellison, have "hid" as the investigation proceeds.

"You know, Walz gets due process, but the way he's handling this, and the way Ellison, the attorney general, has kind of hid right now, makes me pretty confident that there's a massive amount of waste, fraud and abuse that's about to be detected here, and I'm going to predict that Walz's political career is closer to an end than somewhere in the middle."

Taxpayer funds allegedly directed to personal use and terrorist support

The operation purportedly involved fabricated invoices, meal counts, and attendance records, enabling participants to siphon funds for personal luxuries, kickbacks, and overseas transfers, with federal prosecutors charging 87 people and securing 61 convictions to date. 

Amid allegations that some proceeds reached the Somali terrorist group Al-Shabaab, the scandal has sparked federal investigations, political scrutiny of Governor Walz's administration for lax oversight, and heightened tensions within the state's large Somali community.

Republicans have long said that the Democrat's pet projects and social programs are rife with fraud. That suspicion was given credence earlier this year as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) examined and subsequently canceled contracts under USAID (United States Agency for International Development) that were found to be providing a plethora of services and resources to foreign countries, like LGBT activism in Guatemala and $20 million for a Sesame Street show in Iraq. 

Comer reiterated that sentiment and suggested this is not an anomaly. "I think what we're going to find in Minnesota is probably happening in many other states. Minnesota could be, and hopefully is, the worst offender, but there are other blue states run by Democratic [Party] governors who refuse to turn over any data, not only to Congress, but to cabinet secretaries like Brooke Rollins who are trying to get a handle on programs like SNAP."

Comer's experience in detecting crimes and fraud

During his tenure, Comer uncovered bank records showing that Hunter Biden received $6.5 million from Ukrainian energy firm Burisma, where he served on the board despite lacking expertise, with testimony from Devon Archer revealing that Hunter placed Joe Biden on speakerphone over 20 times with foreign associates to sell the "Biden brand" for influence, and allegations that Joe Biden's push to oust prosecutor Viktor Shokin in 2015 aligned suspiciously with Burisma's pressure on Hunter for protection. 

Regarding deals with China Energy (CEFC), Comer's subpoenas exposed over $8 million funneled to Biden family members and associates through shell companies, including a shocking $40,000 check from James Biden to Joe Biden labeled as a "loan repayment" that traced back to laundered CEFC funds mere weeks after Hunter invoked his father's influence in threats to CEFC partners. 

These findings, detailed in memos and sworn testimony, painted a picture of influence peddling where no legitimate services justified the payments, raising national security concerns about foreign adversaries exploiting Biden family ties.

Newsweek reported that an account on X, claiming to represent 480 staff members at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), said Walz, who served as former vice president Kamala Harris' running mate in 2024, "has failed Minnesota." In another post, they added: "Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota."