Rep. Sessions to Newsmax: Fraud Hearing Provided 'Treasure Trove' of Leads

Tuesday's testimony at a House Oversight hearing on alleged Medicaid fraud in Minnesota was "explosive" and provided investigators with a "treasure trove" of new leads, while also putting pressure on Democrats, who can no longer condone what has been uncovered, Rep. Pete Sessions told Newsmax on Thursday.

"I think it's important for us to understand that this is an embarrassing thing for members of Congress who are Democrats," the Texas Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Early." "But just like the American people are learning, they have learned, too, that they cannot condone this."

Sessions said independent journalist Nick Shirley, who testified that he documented widespread fraud, was mistreated despite bringing forward information lawmakers can now pursue.

"No one likes to be looked, to be looked at in a way that they are," Sessions said. "But the bottom line is Nick Shirley was treated poorly. He uncovered this. He provided the information. It has given us a treasure trove of not only places to go, but angles by which to look at it."

Sessions pointed to a prior hearing, which he said added context and suggested the issue had been known for years.

"The week before, the Government Reform and Oversight Committee held a hearing also where we had three members who were members of the legislature from Minnesota who talked about their information on waste, fraud, and abuse," Sessions said.

"They knew about this several years ago," he added. "It was swept under the rug and dismissed not only by the elected officials, but by the media."

He said public scrutiny now is forcing action.

"So that's what happens," Sessions said. "The light of day shows a lot of things that needed to be seen."

Asked what happens next and how accountability can be ensured, Sessions framed the situation as a product of single-party control and what he described as loose oversight of government spending.

"This is one of the things that happens in Democratic administrations when you have one party rule, whether it be Republican or Democrat, things don't always follow the pathway you want," Sessions said. "In this case, it's giving away government money."

Turning to the possibility of a government shutdown, Sessions said there were signs of progress but unresolved issues could still delay an agreement.

"Last night on the floor, it appeared as though there was calmness and a direction that we would move towards agreement," Sessions said.

He described a common tactic in negotiations.

"This speaker likes to bring things to the floor and then evidently negotiate, or that's a tactic that members use," Sessions said.

He said several issues remain unresolved.

"I see several things that are in the way of this," Sessions said. "I see several things where perhaps members have not been forthright and brought their whole issues to where they could be negotiated."

Sessions cited ethanol as a sticking point.

"But the newest one is about this ethanol issue," he said. "Ethanol is still an issue to people in the Midwest. It is something that has to be dealt with."

He said the failure to resolve those issues cleanly creates delays and poor optics.

"Tying up loose ends is something that either the members are not bringing it forthrightly or our leadership is not," Sessions said. "But these are things that cause a delay on the floor, and it looks very awkward to everyone."

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