WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a former U.S. vice-president candidate, on Tuesday responded to a federal government's investigation targeting his state administration, saying that he "welcomes" the move.
The investigation, announced Monday by the U.S. Treasury Department, involves an alleged fraud case in Minnesota in which a group of Somali immigrants reportedly bilked more than 1 billion U.S. dollars from taxpayers.
"It is not a coincidence that they're targeting Minnesota," Walz said, adding that "sitting on the sidelines and throwing out accusations ... and lying to people about the safety and security of the state" does nothing to address the problem.
Prosecutors said the scheme involved funneling state funds intended to feed school children to nonprofit organizations. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said investigators are examining whether some of the funds ended up in the coffers of al-Shabaab, a U.S.-designated terrorist group based in Somalia.
Bessent wrote on social media that the Treasury is "investigating allegations that under the feckless mismanagement of the (former President Joe) Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz, hardworking Minnesotans' tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab."
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer also pledged to take part in the investigation, saying he will "conduct a thorough investigation into Governor Walz's failure to safeguard taxpayer dollars."
"Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was warned about massive fraud ... yet he failed to act," Comer said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Justice has already convicted over 50 individuals of fraud in connection with the scheme, in which much of the stolen money went toward lavish lifestyles and luxury cars.
The investigation comes as federal authorities are reportedly preparing an immigration sweep in Minnesota focused on Somalis living illegally in the United States. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation could start in the coming days and is expected to target those living in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul who have been ordered to be deported.
Trump's focus on the case is part of a broader effort to draw national attention to fraud issues, as well as to put pressure on Minnesota to comply with federal demands for data related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The program is commonly known as "food stamps," which provides free groceries to low-income people.
The Trump administration has alleged that SNAP benefits are being improperly provided to undocumented immigrants. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture demanded that states provide information -- including immigration status, social security numbers, names, birth dates and addresses -- in an effort to root out fraud.
Minnesota and more than 20 other Democrat-led states have refused to provide the feds with their SNAP data, citing privacy laws and concerns that the information could be used for political purposes.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at Tuesday's cabinet meeting that there is "so much rampant fraud" in a program that serves 42 million Americans. She said the administration will withhold SNAP food aid from recipients in Democrat-led states until the required data is provided.
Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua that the fraud scandal "is a very hot item in Minnesota, and since Walz is running for a third term as governor, any opponent will naturally argue that this fraud was too big a thing to happen on the governor's watch."
The announcement of the federal probe also comes as the White House has launched multiple investigations into alleged misconduct by government officials.
Walz ran for vice president last year, on the same ticket as Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris. ■