Transcript

A ‘Billion-Dollar Fraud Machine’: Minnesota Scandal Explodes

From Morning Wire · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 16 min · 2,726 words · 28 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "A ‘Billion-Dollar Fraud Machine’: Minnesota Scandal Explodes", an episode of Morning Wire published December 31, 2025 (16 min, about 2,726 words). It mentions 18 people, works and ideas, including Ilan Omar, Medicaid, Feeding Our Future, Lorie Swanson, Somali immigrants.

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 3:00: Ilan Omar, Lorie Swanson
  2. – 6:00: al-Shabaab, Henipin County, Rochester, Somali immigrants
  3. – 9:00: Feeding Our Future, Joseph H. Thompson, Medicaid, Minnesota Department of Education
  4. – 12:00: Brian O'Hara, Cash Patel, Dr. Meett Oz, Feeding Our Future
  5. – 15:00: Ilan Omar, Medicaid
  6. – 15:53: Tom Emmer

Notable quotes from "A ‘Billion-Dollar Fraud Machine’: Minnesota Scandal Explodes"

  • Well, the first thing you do is you got to get rid of Tim Walls and Keith Ellison and Ilhan Omar. there's your biggest structural problem right there. I let me put some context around this for your viewers, your listeners. 2017 and.
    about Ilan Omar · at
  • But the facts are this today there are roughly by some estimates about 80,000 Somali immigrants that are living in Minnesota. The vast majority of them live in Minneapolis or…
    about Somali immigrants · at
  • Have been sending millions back to Somalia into the hands of al-Shabaab. So, a known terrorist group. So, I keep going.
    about al-Shabaab · at
  • And his question to me was, how were they able to do this? Okay. So then there was the Medicaid housing fraud that was estimated they started in 2020. Program was estimated to…
    about Medicaid · at
  • That have actually been indicted and been prosecuted, for instance, the pandemic fraud case, the feeding our future case, it's over 80 people that were indicted. many have…
    about Feeding Our Future · at
  • You've got Dr. Oz who's investigating fraud in the Medicaid program. You've got Kelly Laughler who's investigating fraud in the SBA program.
    about Dr. Meett Oz · at
  • That was House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and this has been a special edition of Morning Wire.
    about Tom Emmer · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Ilan Omar — Person · 4 mentions · first at
  • Lorie Swanson — Person · 1 mention · first at
    2018, the then Democrat attorney general in M Minnesota was a woman named Lorie Swanson. Lorie Swanson was investigating and prosecuting Somali daycare fraud.
  • Joseph H. Thompson — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Than three times the state average. I think our acting US attorney Joe Thompson said it best last summer in an interview. He said the breadth of this the fraud in this administration would take your breath away.
  • Dr. Meett Oz — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Cash Patel — Person · 1 mention · first at
    You got Cash Patel who's busy with his team investigating Somali gangs that have frankly been running rampant in the Twin Cities committing crimes and no one will hold them accountable for it for.
  • Brian O'Hara — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Twin Cities committing crimes and no one will hold them accountable for it. In fact, Brian O'Hara, the Minneapolis police chief, when asked right after Donald Trump broke this…
  • Tom Emmer — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Kelly Loeffler — Person · 1 mention

Companies & orgs

  • Minnesota Department of Education — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Schools to try and feed children during co $250 million. Who in the Minnesota Department of Education has been held accountable for this? Who was responsible for the oversight? By the way, I've got an anecdotal story. I've got a rabbi that.
  • Minnesota Department of Health — Company · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

Places & events

  • Henipin County — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Living in Minnesota. The vast majority of them live in Minneapolis or Henipin County, an area called Riverside, Cedar Riverside. There's probably 50 to 60,000 of them right…
  • St. Cloud — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Probably 50 to 60,000 of them right there. But then you'll have some in central Minnesota in my district, St.
  • Rochester — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Cloud, some in Rochester, some in some other cities scattered around. Tim Walls and Keith Ellison cannot get votes in greater Minnesota. Think about this.

Full transcript with timestamps

The sweeping fraud allegations coming out of Minnesota have sparked demands for more investigations and further action from political leaders in DC to protect against billions more in taxpayer dollars getting funneled into the hands of fraudsters. In this episode, we sit down with House Majority Whip Tom Immer, who represents Minnesota's sixth congressional district, to discuss what and who allowed the fraud and what actions lawmakers can take to hold those responsible accountable. I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia How. This is a special edition of Morning Wire.

Hey guys, producer Brandon here. My dogs are crazy. Literally, they're Huskys. It's like I have a whole sled dog team in my living room. and they like human food, typically not dog food. But wanting the absolute best for my dogs, I switched over to Olly. They offer fresh protein-packed meals made with real human grade ingredients. A win for my dog's health. And they offer five tasty recipes, all slowcooked for top nutrition, a win for my dog's happiness. What really sets them apart is how they customize everything for your specific pup. From portion sizes based on your dog's needs, to messfree packaging that keeps your fridge from smelling like a kennel. One of my dogs, Hunter, used to wait around the dinner table being a beggar, waiting to see what scraps he might score. No longer. He's absolutely stoked on Olly.

Your dog's well-being starts with their food. And that's why Ali delivers fresh human grade food that your dog will love. Head over to ali.com/wire. Tell them all about your dog and use code wire to get 60% off your welcome kit when you subscribe today. Plus, they offer a happiness guarantee on your first box. So, if you're not completely satisfied, you'll get your money back. That's o lie.com/wire and enter code wire to get 60% off your first box.

Joining us now to discuss is House Majority Whip Tom Immer, who represents Minnesota's sixth congressional district. So, first of all, Congressman, thank you so much for coming on.

Good to be with you. So, we have this massive fraud scandal continuing to unravel this week. What do you believe were the most critical oversight failures within the Walls administration and how should Minnesota restructure its safeguards to prevent this from happening again?

Well, the first thing you do is you got to get rid of Tim Walls and Keith Ellison and Ilhan Omar. I mean, there's your biggest structural problem right there. I let me let me uh put some context around this for uh your uh your viewers, your listeners. uh 2017 and 2018, the then Democrat attorney general in M Minnesota was a woman named Lorie Swanson. Lorie Swanson was investigating and prosecuting Somali daycare fraud. Lorie Swanson in the election uh that year ran for the nomination to be the Democrat gubanatorial candidate. She ran against a guy named Tim Walls. her replacement. She lost to Tim Walls and her replacement was a guy named Keith Ellison who is Ilhan Omar's replacement.

By the way, at the last minute, he orchestrated his res his announcement that he wasn't going to run again so that only Ilhan Omar could be uh the one that was able to file in time and be the candidate. Here's what it really comes down to before we get into the just sheer massive numbers. Uh and by the way, the breadth of this is not just one program. This is everywhere in these uh in in the this Tim Walls administration. But the facts are this uh today there are roughly by some estimates about 80,000 uh Somali immigrants that are living in Minnesota. The vast majority of them uh live in Minneapolis or Henipin County, an area called uh Riverside, Cedar Riverside. There's probably 50 to 60,000 of them right there. But then you'll have some in central Minnesota in my district, St.

Cloud, some in Rochester, some in some other uh cities scattered around. Tim Walls and Keith Ellison cannot get votes in greater Minnesota. Think about this. In the last reelection, Tim Walls outspent the Republican candidates 15 million to 1.7 million and he won with 52% just over 52% of the vote. If you look a little deeper, we have 87 counties. Tim Walls only won the 13 metro counties. We'll go a little farther. If you look at the 74 counties that he lost, he got 37% of the vote, including losing his former congressional seat by eight points. So, what is this about? This is about the fact that when he and Keith Ellison took office, Keith Ellison instantly set up a policy in his attorney general's office that required his approval before any further investigations into fraud could go forward. Guess what? He's never approved one of them. By the way, I want to make it clear very grateful for the president raising

this issue because we've been trying to get people to notice for the last three years. It's only because of what he has done that now all of a sudden uh people are stepping back in horror as to what's been going on in Minnesota. And it's not that all Somali uh immigrants are bad. It just so happens that 90% of the crimes we're talking about have been committed by people that are in the Somali community. And by the way, they have been sending millions back to Somalia into the hands of al-Shabaab. So, a known terrorist group. So, I keep going.

If you look at Keith Ellison, he won by a little less than one point in his last election. What is this all about? This is all about them getting reelected. They need that 60 to 80,000 Somali population. They need them to be voting for them. That's what this is all about. And what what ends up happening because they refuse to deal with the problem. Look, you had the $250 million fraud that people have heard, the largest pandemic fraud case in the country. This was a nutritional supplement, I'll call it, program during CO where the uh states were administering money out of the Department of Agriculture through their department of education to uh uh schools to try and feed children during uh during co uh $250 million. Who in the Minnesota Department of Education has been held accountable for this? Who was responsible for the oversight? By the way, I've got an anecdotal story. I've got a rabbi that

runs a small Jewish school who asked me, "How did they get away with this?" I had to actually show the students by Zoom to my contact in the department of uh education or department of health. It's one or the other. But it in the relevant agency, state agency, he had to show the children that were getting the benefits, getting the food going through the line. And his question to me was, how were they able to do this? Okay. So then there was the uh uh Medicaid housing fraud that was estimated they started in 2020. Program was estimated to be a little more than 2 million a year. They they uh by 2024 in four years they'd sucked a h 100red million out of it. And guess what? They shut her down just last October after they sucked another 61 million out of it and they realized the fraud. Uh 80 uh Somali daycare centers are under investigation. There's one scam that's actually been exposed.

Apparently some Somali woman built 14 million out of this thing by going around and recruiting others to have their kids so-called diagnosed with autism. It's so bad that apparently one out of 16 Somali four-year-olds is alleged to be autistic, which is more than three times the uh the state average. I mean, I I think our our acting US attorney Joe Thompson said it best last summer in an interview. He said the the breadth of of this uh the fraud in this administration would take your breath away.

Is there any action being taken to hold people accountable if they did look the other way knowingly? What investigations are going on with that and and what do you hope to see pursued?

Well, actually, uh you uh until President Trump sounded the alarm, it didn't matter what we were talking about. Didn't matter what the acting US attorney said last summer, uh no one in the Twin Cities media was really digging into this. So I aside from the actors that have actually been indicted and been prosecuted, for instance, the uh the pandemic fraud case, the feeding our future case, it's over 80 people that were indicted. Uh many have already been convicted. 90% of those people are from the Somali community in Minnesota.

As soon as Donald Trump started talking about this, there was a uh briefly uh live Facebook page with uh a bunch of people who claimed to be whistleblowers inside the uh the Tim Walls government. My understanding is it's since been uh taken down. But what I would say to you is this. If one, if those whistleblowers are real and if they can document their claim that they not only warned Tim Walls about the fraud that was going on, but that he ignored them and then retaliated against him. Look, I I think our US Justice Department is uh starting to pick up where Minnesota should have been involved investigating not only the fraud, but who might have been uh not just incompetent but actively engaged in the fraud because they should be criminally held criminally responsible.

Uh you've got Dr. Oz who's investigating fraud in the Medicaid program. You've got uh Kelly Laughler who's investigating fraud in the SBA program. You got Cash Patel who's busy with his team investigating Somali gangs that have frankly been running rampant in the Twin Cities committing crimes and no one will hold them accountable for it for it. In fact, Brian O'Hara, the Minneapolis police chief, when asked right after Donald Trump broke this thing, when asked about it, he said, "Yeah, we got a lot of Eastern Africans that are uh involved in a lot of these crimes." He had to come out two days later and apologize if he offended anyone for his comments. Now, one more question on this. Ilhan Omar, she's alleged to have a lot of connections obviously with the Somali community, but specifically with some of the fraudsters. Do you see any again accountability for her? Is there more that the American public should know

about her? There's a lot more than I want to know. I mean, Ilhan Omar has been defending these criminals all along. Omar F, the guy who ran for mayor of the the city of Minneapolis, who lost thankfully, although the guy who won is not much better. But the uh Omar F was allegedly involved uh with someone in the community defrauding a uh or at least uh being aware of a criminal scheme involving a state program. uh Ilhan uh my understanding and I've got to confirm this but I think Ilhan was one of the authors of the uh the pandemic funding that actually ended up going through feeding our future and being the 250 million that was built out. Look she is the most duplicitous con artist I have ever seen. She wants this to be about race. She wants this to about to be uh you know uh xenophobia. It's got nothing to do with that. This is about crimes committed by criminals. Uh you can't defend the criminal acts that have been

involved. And if if she's involved in any way, she should be prosecuted just like everybody else.

You brought up racism and xenophobia, and those claims are leveled at people who bring up communities like this that are sort of disproportionately involved in illegal activity, but the opposite form of racism appears to be what was actually happening here as you described it. They had sort of protected status. Is that correct? Well, look, they had a status from Keith Ellison of look the other way.

Look the other way and don't say anything. And uh when it comes to Ilhan Omar, look again, you can't defend criminals. Apparently, she thinks she can. You can't defend criminals or criminal acts. You need to hold these people accountable.

What about new federal guidelines or legislation to monitor relief programs like this? Do you support that? Do we need more in place to better protect taxpayers from abuse like this?

Yeah, clearly the federal government has a role here, right? It's not just the investigation and potential uh accountability issues that we're talking about if crimes have been committed. Jamie Comr, my good friend in the oversight committee has called a full hearing on this because we need to find out when when you create these programs whether I for instance voted for it or voted against it. doesn't matter. If I was on the losing side of the vote and the program is has literally come into existence, how for goodness sakes, how did $250 million go from the federal government to the state of Minnesota and then to a bunch of fraudsters? I mean, and what we've talked about is it's over a billion dollars. I you just got to you got to think about that for a second.

Over a billion dollars under the Tim Walls administration. I that can't just be incompetence. So, who was responsible for this? And in the future, we're going to have to have some uh some triggers that when you have this money flowing, they've got to I I think Oz I I'll use this. I'm thinking on the fly, but Oz has given Tim Walls some very strict things that he must do if he wants to keep the Medicaid dollars flowing. Weekly reports, other accountability things. I think that maybe should be standard protocol from this point forward for all of the federal agencies that you got to report weekly. You got to show us that you're doing exactly what the law says and that you're uh making sure these dollars are getting to where they were intended to go. Clearly, that wasn't happening in Minnesota.

Well, if we do see people held accountable, as you're asking for here, hopefully that's a major deterrent going forward for actions like this. Last question. Secretary Scott Bessant recently announced a new crackdown on financial transactions linked to fraud in illegal immigration. Do you think this will be effective?

Well, I I think it's just the beginning. I mean, I I I would tell you that again uh immigration is really important for this country and we welcome anyone, right? Uh and bring your culture, but you become Americans. You can celebrate your cultural heritage. You can celebrate your traditions, but at the end of the day, you live under the laws of the United States of America. Anybody who came to this country misrepresenting who they were or their eligibility to enter the country in the first place, who somehow under those false pretenses was given citizenship status, I'm going to tell you right now, they should be uh rounded up and shipped back to where they came from because that is the law.

And uh I I think uh Treasury Secretary Bessant is taking a good uh first step, but we're going to have to look into this a lot uh in a lot more detail because you know there's a lot of allegations out there and they've been out there for years that uh people including uh in Ilhan's family came to this country under false pretenses.

Let's hope we do see some action on this because we don't want to see billions more wasted on fraud. Congressman Emmer, thank you so much for joining us. Yeah, thank you again for covering it. Really appreciate it.

That was House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and this has been a special edition of Morning Wire.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "A ‘Billion-Dollar Fraud Machine’: Minnesota Scandal Explodes"?

In order: 0:00 Ilan Omar, Lorie Swanson; 3:00 al-Shabaab, Henipin County, Rochester, Somali immigrants; 6:00 Feeding Our Future, Joseph H. Thompson, Medicaid, Minnesota Department of Education; 9:00 Brian O'Hara, Cash Patel, Dr. Meett Oz, Feeding Our Future; 12:00 Ilan Omar, Medicaid; 15:00 Tom Emmer.

What is mentioned in this Morning Wire episode?

18 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Ilan Omar, Medicaid, Feeding Our Future, Lorie Swanson, Somali immigrants, Henipin County. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "A ‘Billion-Dollar Fraud Machine’: Minnesota Scandal Explodes"?

The episode runs 16 min; the transcript is about 2,726 words in 28 timestamped sections.

More from Morning Wire

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.