Minnesota Republican state Rep. Kristin Robbins stated on Tuesday that Gov. Tim Walz had to have known about massive federal fraud occurring during his administration, citing billions of dollars in losses. Speaking on “National Report,” Robbins, chair of the Fraud Prevention & State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, said while federal prosecutors have pursued numerous fraud cases, accountability within the governor’s office has been absent.
A federal prosecutor recently reported that half or more of roughly $18 billion in federal funds flowing to 14 Minnesota-run programs since 2018 were stolen, describing the fraud as “staggering and deeply layered.” Robbins noted that through the U.S. Attorney’s Office, there have been 61 convictions and 87 indictments, yet no criminal referrals or indictments emerged from Walz’s administration.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Newsmax earlier Tuesday he expects multiple criminal referrals tied to wrongdoing inside Minnesota state government. Robbins emphasized her oversight authority is limited as a state legislator, stating she lacks access to bank records, health records, or the state payment system. “For this to happen for seven years — $9 billion in fraud since Gov. Walz took office — I don’t know how they couldn’t have known about it,” Robbins said.
Robbins accused Walz of overseeing “rampant fraud” for years while failing to take meaningful action until recently, only initiating an audit and pausing payments after mounting pressure this fall. She described the governor’s response as a failure of leadership, stating, “He has been derelict in his duties.” Robbins added that the Fraud Prevention & State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, formed in January, worked aggressively with investigative journalists and federal partners to force accountability — but Walz continues to refuse holding anyone in his administration responsible.
