Minnesota Fraud and Oversight

At a heated House Oversight hearing, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison defended their handling of a large state fraud probe after a GOP majority staff report accused them of covering up wrongdoing, lying about when they learned of it and retaliating against employees, and cited continued payments to Feeding Our Future despite identified program deficiencies. Walz and Ellison said a December "Operation Metro Surge" immigration enforcement surge diverted federal resources and hampered fraud work—Ellison cited about 3,000 agents initially and roughly 650 investigators remaining and noted his office’s roughly 300 Medicaid fraud convictions and more than $80 million recovered—while Republicans pushed for sworn depositions, resignations or criminal referrals and floated tougher anti‑fraud measures tied to political concerns.