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The remark underscored the political damage now facing Walz as federal scrutiny intensifies and public confidence collapses.
Leavitt went on to stress that the investigation is far from symbolic. The Department of Justice has already secured dozens of convictions tied to Minnesota based fraud schemes and continues filing charges at a rapid pace. According to Leavitt, the most recent indictments were handed down as recently as December 19, signaling that prosecutors are accelerating rather than slowing down.
The most explosive moment of the interview came when Leavitt confirmed that Governor Walz himself is now under active investigation. “This is an all-hands-on-deck, across the entire government effort. We are surging resources. You saw today, the Department of Homeland Security announced we have nearly 2 ,000 agents from the Homeland Security Investigations Team. The FBI is on the ground. And we’re freezing money. HHS cut off funding for childcare centers and for daycares. USDA Secretary Rawlins has been asking Governor Walz to see the recipients of SNAP in his state,” she said.
She made clear that this is not a narrow inquiry but a sweeping federal response aimed at dismantling systemic corruption.
Leavitt emphasized that the White House views the matter as a national priority. “This is a top priority for President Trump, and he believes that Governor Walz is criminally liable, and I think the Department of Justice is going to find out.”
At the center of the scandal is the now infamous Feeding Our Future case. The nonprofit is accused of stealing approximately $250 million from a federal child nutrition program during the COVID 19 pandemic by submitting false claims for meals that were never served. As of late 2025, federal prosecutors have charged 78 individuals connected to the scheme, with more than 50 pleading guilty and several convicted at trial, including the organization’s founder.
A significant portion of those charged are members of Minnesota’s Somali community, which is the largest in the United States. Investigators say the case is only one piece of a much larger puzzle.
Federal probes have since expanded into at least 14 different programs administered by the state, including Medicaid funded services. Prosecutors have issued preliminary estimates suggesting that half or more of roughly $18 billion spent since 2018 may have been fraudulent. That places potential losses at $9 billion or more.
The allegations include billing for nonexistent childcare services, housing stabilization fraud, bogus autism therapy claims, and widespread abuse of welfare programs. Investigators also revealed that large sums of taxpayer money were wired overseas, primarily to Somalia.
Even more alarming, federal authorities are examining whether millions of those dollars may have reached al Qaeda linked al Shabaab operatives active in the region.
The FBI has dramatically expanded its presence in Minnesota, with Director Kash Patel warning that previous arrests represent “just the tip of a very large iceberg.”
As the investigation deepens, the question is no longer whether Minnesota’s welfare system was exploited. The question now is how much Governor Tim Walz knew, when he knew it, and whether federal prosecutors will ultimately hold him accountable.
