Minnesota Republican state Sen. Michael Holmstrom is urging President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, citing the massive benefits fraud scandal that has rocked the state in recent weeks.
In a post on X Thursday morning, Holmstrom argued that the scope of the alleged fraud and the state’s handling of it raise serious questions about oversight and accountability at the highest levels of state government.
“These schemes raise unavoidable questions about the conduct, nonfeasance, and potential complicity of the state’s highest officials,” he said. “The continued inaction by these leaders, despite repeated warnings and mounting evidence, warrants criminal scrutiny.”
Holmstrom’s request comes as Minnesota is facing intense scrutiny over what he describes as a “systemic fraud crisis,” with the alleged benefits scheme becoming a focal point of public outrage and political debate. The senator contends that state agencies and elected leaders failed to take timely action to prevent widespread abuse and protect taxpayer funds.
He pointed to federal agencies that are already involved in ongoing investigations or enforcement actions tied to the suspected fraud, including the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota.
Holmstrom said investigators have moved to freeze payments to certain “high-risk programs” flagged for abuse, a step typically taken when officials believe taxpayer dollars could be vulnerable due to weak safeguards or evidence of significant wrongdoing.
Critics of the Walz administration have alleged that repeated red flags were ignored, including warnings from whistleblowers, and that a lack of decisive oversight allowed the alleged wrongdoing to expand.
Holmstrom said the consequences of the scandal stretch beyond the financial losses involved, warning that the alleged fraud has inflicted damage on working families and deepened distrust in government.
“Minnesotans are struggling, and the fallout from this fraud reaches far beyond financial loss,” he said. “Lives are being ruined and communities are being torn apart.
“I urge the DOJ to investigate the actions and inactions of Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison and to pursue all appropriate charges if violations are found,” the post concluded
The state lawmaker included a screenshot of the letter he sent to Trump in his social media post.
Walz and Ellison have not yet publicly responded to Holmstrom’s call.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.