Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., on Wednesday accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other Democrats of ignoring fraud in taxpayer-funded programs for years, arguing federal authorities and not state officials drove the recent enforcement actions.
Langworthy, a member of the House Oversight Committee, made the remarks on Newsmax's "National Report" following FBI raids in Minnesota on Tuesday tied to an ongoing fraud investigation involving government-funded programs.
"This was a purely federal effort, not Tim Walz," Langworthy said.
Langworthy said the governor is now attempting to shift his public posture after the raids, despite what he described as years of inaction by state leadership.
"This about-face for Walz, that's embarrassing," Langworthy said.
The New York Republican pointed to prior testimony before the House Oversight Committee, where he said Minnesota officials failed to provide consistent answers about how fraud allegations were handled.
"He was an embarrassment in front of the Oversight Committee," Langworthy said.
"For about six straight hours, he and Keith Ellison, the attorney general, couldn't get their story straight."
Langworthy alleged that warnings about fraud were raised repeatedly but not acted upon by state officials.
"These are hyperpartisan Democrats," Langworthy said. "They turned a blind eye for years and years."
He added, "We had Minnesota state senators testify at oversight" who "were not listened to when they brought this fraud forward for multiple years, and they have the receipts to prove it."
Langworthy also argued that the alleged fraud was widely known locally.
"Walz did not want to crack down on this community and the clear fraud that people out on the street understood was happening," Langworthy said.
Federal authorities are now leading the investigation, with the Department of Justice expected to determine whether charges will be filed as evidence is gathered.
"Now the DOJ has to do its work," the Langworthy said. "You know, they're gathering information, seizing evidence. And now our Justice Department needs to get to work."
Langworthy said Congress is working on legislative solutions to address fraud in federal programs, emphasizing the scale of taxpayer funds administered through state systems.
"We are doing our job in Washington," Langworthy said. "The Oversight Committee today is marking up bills to get to the House floor, to fight fraud and to create standards so this Minnesota does not happen again."
He warned that similar issues may exist in other states and called for stronger safeguards.
"It's a target-rich environment," Langworthy said. "California, New York, Minnesota, many other states that have a lot of circumstantial evidence."
Langworthy added that accountability is needed to ensure federal funds are properly managed.
"We need to put the safeguards in place so that we aren't just chasing fraud," the congressman said. "We have $1.1 trillion in federal money that's run by state programs, and that's not working."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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