Governor Tim Walz is facing growing scrutiny from state and federal Republican lawmakers – and a possible criminal referral to the Justice Department – as questions mount about what and when he knew about the massive, years-long entitlement fraud that took place in Minnesota while he was in office.. 

As federal investigators dig deeper into allegations of widespread social services fraud – much of which was allegedly perpetrated by criminal elements within Minnesota’s Somali migrant community –  the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, says Mr. Walz is the individual who should be “most concerned” about the probes.

Allegations of widespread fraud made national headlines earlier this month after federal prosecutors charged more than 90 individuals — the majority of whom are of Somali descent — with stealing billions of dollars from the Medicaid programs in Minnesota. Scrutiny of Mr. Walz and Minnesota’s leaders intensified over the weekend after a camera-toting independent journalist, Nick Shirley, 23, published a video investigation  that found that several state-funded, Somali-owned daycare centers were not providing services for children. Mr. Shirley’s 40 minute video has received 130 million impressions on X.

Mr. Shirley’s investigation followed reports in two New York publications – the New York Post and City Journal, a publication of the conservative Manhattan Institute – that entitlement fraud was widespread in the Twin Cities’ large Somali community, and that Minnesota taxpayers had therefore  unwittingly become one of the largest funders of the Somalia-based Islamist terror group Al Shabaab.

Mr. Comer told Fox Business on Tuesday that his committee will interview state employees who claim they informed Mr. Walz about allegations of fraud several years ago.  

“We’re going to follow the money and figure out who all was involved in this fraud,” Mr. Comer said. “But at the end of the day, the one who needs to be most concerned is Governor Tim Walz because he was, by all accounts, warned of this fraud, but yet didn’t want to do anything to offend the Somali voting population.”

There are about 100,000 Somalis living in Minnesota. The state’s powerful Lutheran church welcomed them to the state starting in the early 1990s when the Somali state collapsed amid civil war.

A spokesman for Mr. Walz’s office has sought to distance the governor from the growing scandal, saying that the governor has “worked for years to crack down on fraud” and asked state lawmakers for “more authority to take aggressive action.”

The FBI director, Kash Patel, told journalist Catherine Herridge on Tuesday that his agency has been investigating allegations of fraud in Minnesota for months. Mr. Patel said that fraud investigations were “buried” while President Biden was in office due to concerns that allies of the 46th president would be implicated in crimes. 

The director also said his agency is investigating whether elected officials have any connection to fraud schemes in Minnesota.

A state Republican lawmaker and gubernatorial candidate, Kristin Robbins, told Fox News on Monday that she believes Mr. Walz – who is running for a third term – should resign, as she accused him of not firing anyone or “taking steps to stop the fraud.” She said that some Republicans are weighing an impeachment effort. 

Republican officials have avoided directly accusing Mr. Walz of being complicit in the fraud schemes, but they have accused him of turning a blind eye to concerns about fraud.

The third-ranking Republican in the House, Tom Emmer of Minnesota, sent a letter to Mr. Walz demanding answers about what steps he has taken to combat fraud.

“Amid the national disgrace you’ve inflicted upon Minnesota, I have become further appalled at the recent reports of a blatant, large-scale fraud scheme within Somali-run healthcare and daycare centers throughout the state,” Mr. Emmer said. “I demand you take immediate action to hold these criminals responsible, and, for your sake, I pray you were not complicit in allowing these centers to survive.”

Texas Congressman Lance Gooden, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, posted on X, “Tim Walz launched the ‘largest-ever’ expansion of child care grants in Minnesota history. Visit a child care center in the state and many are empty. Walz needs to be investigated.”

A group of state Republican lawmakers called on Mr. Walz to resign as they accused him of “nonfeasance,” which the Minnesota Constitution lists as grounds for recall.

“When a governor fails to do what he is required to do, when he watches a crisis spiral out of control and does nothing to stop it, that is nonfeasance. The governor had a duty to oversee his administration and protect these programs. He failed. There needs to be consequences,” the lawmakers said. 

While Republicans have been careful not to directly accuse Mr. Walz of being complicit in fraud schemes, he may not be off the hook for criminal charges, as public officials are typically required to report alleged fraud. Failure to do so could lead to an obstruction of justice charge or even an official being charged as an accessory to a crime. 

There have been several prominent state and national Democratic officials who have faced criminal charges in recent years.

In 2011, a former governor of Illinois, Rob Blagojevich, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for trying to sell President Obama’s Senate seat. His sentence was commuted by President Trump in 2020. 

In 2012, a former governor of Alabama, Don Siegelman – the last Democrat to serve as governor in the now deep red state – was sentenced to 78 months in prison for accepting a bribe to appoint a healthcare executive to a state health regulatory board. 

A former Democratic New York lieutenant governor, Brian Benjamin, was charged with participating in a scheme to receive campaign donations from a real estate developer, Gerald Migdol,  in exchange for using his position as a state senator to help a nonprofit controlled by Migdol obtain a $50,000 state grant. 

Mr. Benjamin resigned his position. However, in January 2025, the charges against him were dropped because Migdol died, and prosecutors did not believe they could prove their case after his death. 

In June, a former powerful Democratic senator from New Jersey, Robert Menendez, began serving an eleven-year prison sentence after he was convicted on federal bribery charges. 

Two Democratic women members of Congress are facing felony charges. Representative LaMonica McIver of New Jersey has been charged with assaulting a federal officer outside an ICE detention facility earlier this year. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida was charged last month with stealing COVID funds. Both women maintain their innocence.

Early this month, Mr. Trump pardoned Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas who was facing charges of bribery, money-laundering and conspiracy.

Representatives for Mr. Walz did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.