Comer vows Minnesota fraud probe will expand to other states amid mounting scrutiny
EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans' investigation into fraud within Minnesota's social programs is likely to expand, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital.
"We need to know how deep this fraud in taxpayer-funded programs runs, not just in Minnesota, but across the country. The House Oversight Committee will expand its investigation to other states, because waste, fraud, and abuse cannot be tolerated anywhere," Comer said Tuesday.
The House Oversight Committee is probing allegations that federal and state funds were misused in Minnesota, an investigation that's thrust top officials in the state government under scrutiny.
It's also proved to be a potent political cudgel for Republicans against progressive leaders like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison.
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Both were summoned to Capitol Hill by Comer, who is holding a pair of high-profile hearings in the coming weeks while the federal government investigates allegations of fraud.
The first such event, taking place on Wednesday, will feature testimony from three Republicans in the state legislature. Walz and Ellison were summoned for a follow-up hearing on Feb. 10.
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Comer said he would use the probe "as a blueprint to expand oversight and pursue accountability in other states" as well.
It comes after Walz announced he would drop his bid for a third term as governor on Monday, citing the fervor around the fraud investigations.
"Every minute that I spend defending my own political interests 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," Walz said.
Walz previously said his administration has taken steps to crack down on the fraud, but argued federal officials are overinflating and politicizing the scope of the damage.
But Comer said Walz still "needs to testify under oath about what he knew, and when he knew it, about this massive fraud and money-laundering operation."
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota have charged multiple people with stealing more than $240 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
However, the probe has since widened to multiple state-run programs being investigated for potential fraud.
Childcare providers receiving state funding, mainly within the Somali community, are also under scrutiny.