Vance's DOJ Referral Cites Report Alleging Walz And Ellison Ignored Massive Fraud
Vice President JD Vance sent a formal letter on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, asking the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.[1]
Vance asked that the probe be handled by the Justice Department's newly formed anti-fraud division and publicly pressed for a "full criminal investigation." PBS News He reiterated the demand in a Fox News interview and on social media, saying Minnesota officials are "not above the law" and those who facilitated fraud must "face justice." Fox News Reporting also says Vance linked alleged Medicaid and child-care fraud to "Somalian illegal immigrants" in later remarks.[2]
On Monday, June 8, a Republican majority in the House Oversight Committee released a 205-page report saying Walz and Ellison were warned about fraud in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program as early as April 2020 and that Ellison's public timeline conflicted with committee findings.[3] The committee tied Ellison's early knowledge to high-risk Medicaid programs dating to 2019 and described roughly $300 million in Feeding Our Future losses and an estimated $9 billion in potentially fraudulent Medicaid billing.[3] The report also flagged an alleged $90 million fraud against autism centers and quoted Minnesota Department of Education officials saying they delayed declaring a "serious deficiency" and paused stop-pay actions until the following year, partly out of fear of being sued.[3]
Initial coverage from Fox News emphasized the committee's findings and the timeline discrepancies in state accounts.[4] By June 9, PBS and other outlets had highlighted legal and procedural uncertainties, describing Vance's referral as an escalation of the White House's "war on fraud" and noting it remains unclear which federal criminal statutes, if any, would apply.[1]
Ellison's office called the report "riddled with inaccuracies and misrepresentations" and called Vance's referral a political stunt.[3] Walz's spokesman dismissed the Oversight report as "nothing more than a joke," and DOJ had not immediately responded; a referral does not require federal prosecutors to open an investigation.[1]
The mainstream summary does not mention that the House Oversight report indicates Gov. Tim Walz and AG Keith Ellison were aware of significant fraud as early as 2020 yet allowed payments to continue, suggesting a willful neglect of duty. This perspective is echoed on social media, where users highlight that the officials not only ignored warnings but also allegedly silenced whistleblowers, raising questions about their complicity in the fraud. Furthermore, while the summary notes Vance's referral as part of a broader 'war on fraud,' it downplays the implications of the reported $300 million in confirmed losses and the potential for billions more at risk, which could suggest a more systemic issue within Minnesota's social services programs than merely individual negligence.
Additionally, the summary does not clarify that previous criminal referrals to the DOJ regarding Walz and Ellison had already been made by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, indicating a longer history of scrutiny surrounding these officials. The framing of Vance's actions as purely punitive contrasts with some social media perspectives that argue for a focus on accountability for the fraud itself rather than political retribution, suggesting a more complex narrative at play than the mainstream account conveys.
Show source details & analysis (5 sources)
📊 Relevant Data
Minnesota's total Medicaid spending reached $18.7 billion in federal fiscal year 2024 according to CMS data compiled by KFF.
Total Medicaid Spending — KFF State Health Facts
In federal fiscal year 2024, combined federal and state spending on Minnesota Medicaid totaled $19.3 billion.
How much does Medicaid cost in Minnesota? — USAFacts
📌 Key Facts
- The House Oversight Committee’s 205-page report, released on Monday, June 8, 2026 (Central), accuses Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison of repeatedly contradicting public accounts of the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal.
- The report alleges Gov. Tim Walz and AG Keith Ellison were aware of fraud in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program as early as April 2020 and cites a September 2022 Ellison press release that the committee says conflicts with that timeline.
- Investigators tied Ellison’s early knowledge to high‑risk Medicaid programs dating to 2019 and linked that timeline to what the report describes as more than $300 million in Feeding Our Future fraud and an estimated $9 billion in potentially fraudulent Medicaid billing.
- The committee’s findings also highlight an alleged $90 million fraud against autism centers as part of the broader web of waste, fraud and abuse.
- On Tuesday, June 9, 2026 (Central), Vice President JD Vance formally sent a letter to the Justice Department asking the newly formed DOJ anti‑fraud division to open a criminal probe of Walz and Ellison and publicly called for a “full criminal investigation.”
- Vance, in televised remarks and interviews later summarized by outlets, tied the alleged Medicaid and child‑care fraud to “Somalian illegal immigrants” and said whistleblowers had been shut down as racist or xenophobic, according to reporting by MS NOW.
- Both Minnesota leaders pushed back: Ellison’s office rejected the report as “riddled with inaccuracies” and called Vance’s referral a political stunt, while Walz’s spokesman Teddy Tschann dismissed the Oversight report as “nothing more than a joke” and said fraudsters should be punished, per reporting at PBS News.
- Legal and procedural context remains uncertain: a referral does not require DOJ to open an investigation, DOJ had not immediately responded, and news outlets noted it is unclear what specific federal criminal statutes might apply to Walz or Ellison.
- Minnesota Department of Education officials told investigators they did not declare a “serious deficiency” or impose a stop‑pay order on Feeding Our Future until the following year and that payments were partly resumed out of fear of being taken to court, according to statements quoted in the Fox News coverage.
- The report accuses Walz and Ellison’s offices of being alerted to fraud tips and allegedly working to keep them quiet, including through what it calls intimidation via regular high‑level check‑ins and “threats of surveillance,” as reported by MS NOW.
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Vice President and fraud czar JD Vance publicly asked DOJ to investigate Gov. Tim Walz and AG Keith Ellison specifically over their handling of Medicaid fraud complaints, citing the House Oversight report.
- The Republican-led House Oversight Committee report alleged misuse of nearly $300 million in federal child nutrition funds and about $9 billion in Medicaid-related funds in Minnesota.
- The report accuses Walz and Ellison’s offices of being alerted to fraud tips and allegedly working to keep them quiet, including through what it calls intimidation via regular high-level check‑ins and “threats of surveillance.”
- Ellison issued a detailed statement to MS NOW calling the House report’s allegations unfounded and describing Vance’s referral as a political stunt that misuses government power against perceived opponents.
- Walz spokesman Teddy Tschann told MS NOW that Walz believes fraudsters should go to prison and suggested House Republicans should instead scrutinize Trump’s pardons and commutations of people convicted of fraud.
- The article notes DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment and that a referral does not obligate DOJ to open a probe, while adding that DOJ under Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche has rarely declined matters Trump prioritizes.
- Vance, in a Fox News interview aired late Monday, June 8, 2026, tied alleged Medicaid and child-care fraud to “Somalian illegal immigrants” and claimed whistleblowers were shut down as racist or xenophobic.
- The piece recounts that Minnesota officials had flagged several child-care providers as high fraud risks and begun working with federal authorities months before right-wing influencer Nick Shirley’s December video that helped make the issue a national flashpoint.
- On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to the Justice Department formally pressing federal prosecutors to investigate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison over alleged failures to stop widespread social services fraud.
- Vance asked that the investigation be handled by a newly formed Justice Department anti-fraud division whose structure has drawn criticism because the White House initially said its leader would report directly to the president rather than through normal DOJ chains.
- The Associated Press story highlights that it is unclear what specific federal criminal statutes might apply to Walz or Ellison, noting legal uncertainty around potential charges even as Vance seeks a probe.
- Walz spokesperson Teddy Tschann dismissed the House Oversight report as 'nothing more than a joke' and accused President Trump of 'letting fraudsters out of prison,' while Ellison called Vance's referral a 'political stunt' and said the administration is using government machinery to target perceived opponents.
- The article underscores that Minnesota's social-services fraud prosecutions have spanned both the Biden and Trump administrations, but describes Vance's move against state leaders as a significant escalation of the Trump White House's declared 'war on fraud.'
- On Monday, June 8, 2026, Vice President JD Vance said he referred allegations involving Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison to the Justice Department's fraud division for a potential criminal investigation.
- Vance described the referral on Fox News' 'Jesse Watters Primetime,' calling for a 'full criminal investigation' into alleged fraud in federally funded social-services programs tied to Minnesota.
- Vance reiterated on X that Minnesota officials are 'not above the law' and said those who facilitated fraud, lied under oath, or intimidated whistleblowers 'must face justice.'
- Vance and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz had earlier paused federal Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota, which Gov. Walz on February 25 characterized as 'weaponizing' the federal government to punish blue states.
- On Monday, June 8, 2026, the House Oversight Committee’s Republican majority released its 205-page report and explicitly accused Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison of repeatedly contradicting public accounts of the Feeding Our Future fraud scandal.
- The report alleges Ellison and Gov. Tim Walz knew about fraud in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program as early as April 2020, despite later public claims suggesting they learned of issues later.
- Investigators say interviews show Ellison knew of fraud in 'high‑risk Medicaid programs' administered by the state as early as 2019, tying that timeline to more than $300 million in Feeding Our Future fraud and an estimated $9 billion in potentially fraudulent high‑risk Medicaid billing.
- The report cites a September 2022 Ellison press release that claimed he stepped in during the 'Fall of 2020' to advise the Minnesota Department of Education against a legal threat from Feeding Our Future, while committee findings say MDE was confronted by Feeding Our Future in April 2020.
- MDE Assistant Commissioner Daron Korte told investigators MDE did not declare a 'serious deficiency' for Feeding Our Future or impose a stop‑pay order until the following year, and that the agency resumed payments partly out of fear of being taken to court.
- Ellison’s office issued a statement rejecting the report as 'riddled with inaccuracies and misrepresentations in order to politicize the issue of fraud.'
- The committee writes it could not determine whether Ellison’s alleged failure to protect Minnesota taxpayers was due to 'incompetence, willful blindness or worse.'
- The article notes the report also highlights an alleged $90 million fraud against autism centers as part of the broader web of waste, fraud and abuse.