Minnesota GOP lawmakers cite Constitution in call for Walz to resign over fraud crisis

Several Republican lawmakers in Minnesota released a statement officially calling on the state's Democratic governor, Tim Walz, to resign in light of the unfolding fraud scandal that has spiraled during his tenure. 

"Minnesotans have been watching the fraud crisis get worse and worse for years. It has gone on long enough," Minnesota state Senators Bill Lieske and Nathan Wesenberg, along with state Reps. Marj Fogelman, Drew Roach and Mike Wiener, said in a Monday press release.

"This is not about politics or stunts, and we do not make a call like this lightly. The office of the governor deserves respect, and we have tried to give Gov. Walz time to act."

The group cites Article 8, Section 6 of the Minnesota Constitution, which lists serious malfeasance in the performance of official duties, as the reason to recall executive and interior officers, but stopped short of calling for an official recall effort. 

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The lawmakers explained that "leadership means doing the right thing even when it is difficult, which is why we are calling on Gov. Walz to resign."

"We are talking about billions of dollars in fraud that should have gone to vulnerable Minnesotans. The red flags were everywhere. Yet, year after year, the fraud kept growing, and year after year, nothing changed."

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Earlier this month, federal prosecutors revealed that the fraud scandal in Minnesota, primarily found within the state's Somali community, could cost taxpayers as much as $9 billion dollars. 

The Monday call from Republicans for Walz to resign comes shortly after a viral video by journalist Nick Shirley, seen more than 100 million times on X, highlighting suspected fraudulent daycare locations prompted even more scrutiny on Walz.

Walz's office pushed back on the criticism shortly after the video went viral.

"The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action," a Walz spokesperson said. "He has strengthened oversight — including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed."

The spokesperson added that Walz has "hired an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs, shut down the Housing Stabilization Services program entirely, announced a new statewide program integrity director, and supported criminal prosecutions."

Calls for Walz to resign have increased in recent weeks, including from Trump's Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Fox News Digital first reported earlier this month.

The lawmakers said in their statement that the fraud scandal is the "number one" issue they hear from their constituents, along with questions about why no one in power has been held accountable.

"What we are seeing from the governor is what nonfeasance looks like," the lawmakers wrote. "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.

"For the good of the state, Gov. Walz should step aside. Minnesota needs accountability, a reset, and new leadership that can get us back on the right track."