Minn. lawmaker 'not surprised' by Walz ending campaign, says there will be no 'stone unturned' in hearings
A Minnesota state representative said she was not surprised by Gov. Tim Walz ending his reelection campaign amid the rising fraud scandal under his watch, warning he cannot escape accountability in upcoming hearings.
"We were not surprised," State Rep. Kristin Robbins said Monday on "The Story." "It has become increasingly clear that Tim Walz is going to run from the accountability that he deserves for allowing this massive scale of fraud in our state. And so we heard rumors of this for quite a while, and I’m not surprised. The more we look into it, the increasing number of programs of fraud, the scale of it is staggering, and he just cannot defend his record, and neither will any of his handpicked successors."
Walz announced on Monday that he's dropping his bid for a third term as governor amid stinging criticism of his handling of his state's massive welfare assistance fraud scandal. Businesses ranging from daycares to nonprofits allegedly used state policies to take what some estimate to be about $9 billion in taxpayer dollars.
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"I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all," he said in a public statement. "Every minute that I spend defending my own political interest would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota, against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who want to prey on our differences. So I’ve decided to step out of this race and I’ll let others worry about the election."
Robbins, who also serves as the chair of Minnesota’s Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, will be testifying before Congress on Wednesday.
"The Story" anchor Martha McCallum showed a set of charts contrasting what the alleged $9 billion was supposed to be spent on — ranging from assistance for recovering addicts to feeding children — to what it was instead allegedly spent on — wire transfers to China and East Africa, luxury real estate, and luxury vehicles.
"Do you think that you will see Governor Walz held accountable for his governorship in terms of how he was overseeing where this money was going in the state that he was running?" McCallum asked.
"I expect so," Robbins said, who has criticized Walz and is seeking the Republican nomination for Minnesota governor. "Our committee is going to have continued oversight hearings. The federal government is holding oversight hearings. I know federal partners at DOJ are doing additional investigative work. So we will not leave any stone unturned to get Minnesotans’ money back and to hold everyone responsible for this fraud."
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House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., also warned Walz cannot escape accountability.
"Massive fraud of taxpayer dollars occurred on Tim Walz’s watch," Comer said. "He’s either complicit in this theft or grossly incompetent in preventing it. Though Tim Walz is not running for governor again, he cannot run from accountability. The House Oversight Committee demands that he appear for a public hearing on February 10 to expose this fraud and begin the process of accountability. The American people deserve answers, and they deserve them now."
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz's office and did not receive an immediate reply.