Deputy AG Todd Blanche sheds light on new DOJ fraud division to address 'insane' problem
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is shedding light on an "entirely new division" the Department of Justice is launching in response to the rampant fraud plaguing Minnesota.
"It's a massive problem that nobody wants to talk about because it's not fun to talk about fraud — Medicaid fraud. If you bring it up at a cocktail party, everybody's gonna walk away," Blanche joked during Tuesday's installment of the "Ruthless" podcast.
In January, President Donald Trump tapped Vice President JD Vance to take the lead in the "war on fraud" after billions in taxpayer funds directed towards Minnesota were mishandled and stolen.
Blanche said a new assistant attorney general will be appointed to focus solely on fraud.
"The fraud problem is insane," Blanche told the "Ruthless" hosts.
He cited a case involving "two Pennsylvania men who signed up for benefits to run homeless shelters in Minneapolis without living there and managed to receive $4 million in federal funds after they got signatures from homeless individuals in Minneapolis and promised they'd receive appropriate care.
"Now, a $4 million fraud — that's not Bernie Madoff, ok, but that's just two dudes driving from Philly to Minneapolis ripping us off — your money, my money — ripping us off and nobody cared," Blanche said.
COMER TO SAY TIM WALZ 'ENABLED FRAUD,' FAILED WHISTLEBLOWERS IN BOMBSHELL MINNESOTA HEARING
Blanche went on to say that the federal government gives "money away like candy" citing school lunch fraud and daycare centers that "do not exist."
"And there's no check on them," he continued. "The feds get a bill — 'Hey, can you send us $2.9 million this month because we have this many thousand kids that we pay for for their lunches?' Turns out it's mostly made up. It's crazy."
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS
The deputy AG vowed that "no fraud [is] too small, and no fraud [is] too large" as part of the DOJ's new initiative.
"What we want to do is say if you steal $1001, that's a felony in this country. And so, if you steal $1001, you are going to go to prison, and you are going to have a felony," Blanche said. "And if people actually believe that, it's a massive deterrent."
Catch the latest from "Ruthless" on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on YouTube and all podcast platforms.