Minnesota GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth confirmed this week that Republican lawmakers helped direct independent journalist Nick Shirley to daycare facilities amid growing concerns over widespread fraud in state and federally funded programs.
Speaking during a virtual press conference Monday, Demuth said her caucus has been "working with" Shirley as part of broader efforts to expose fraud and hold the administration of Democrat Gov. Tim Walz accountable.
"Our caucus has been working to expose fraud for years, including working with Nick Shirley and agency whistleblowers to get the information out to the public and to hold the Walz administration accountable," Demuth said.
State Republican Rep. Harry Niska later clarified that caucus staffers provided information to an individual identified in Shirley's video as David, who helped guide the journalist to specific daycare locations.
"Fraud needs to end in the state," Demuth said. "And if this is what it takes, since there's been inaction by our current governor, then this is where we're at."
Shirley released a video Friday documenting visits to multiple daycare sites across Minnesota.
In the footage, he reported that several facilities appeared not to be providing services to children and challenged employees to show whether children were present at the locations.
The federally funded childcare subsidy program pumped roughly $185 million annually into the state.
On the ground, some daycare centers reportedly collected millions per facility over recent years — with allegations of more than $100 million in questionable payments across multiple sites. State records show that at least one daycare had received $7.8 million in federal childcare tax dollars since 2019 despite regulatory issues.
The video quickly drew national attention, including from the Trump administration and congressional Republicans.
Federal agencies have since escalated their response.
The Department of Homeland Security dispatched agents to Minneapolis on Monday, while the Small Business Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services paused certain payments to Minnesota programs pending review.
Meanwhile, the GOP-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has scheduled hearings on the issue in the new year and invited Walz to testify.
"It has gone ignored by Democrats here in the state of Minnesota for over eight years," Demuth told NewsNation. "I'm grateful that YouTuber Nick Shirley has gotten attention to what's been ignored by our mainstream media here."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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