Catholic Minnesota Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan dons hijab to appear on Somali TV

Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan wore a hijab while speaking on a local Somali TV station at a local mall. She stood smiling in the video as she was flanked by Somalis. 

Flanagan has said that she is Catholic and that her "view on immigration is grounded in her Catholic faith." Her boss, Governor Tim Walz, has been extremely pro immigration and has backed the Somali community in his state despite the massive, over $9 billion in fraud committed by members of that community against both Minnesota and the federal government.

She opened with an Islamic greeting meaning "peace be upon you," saying "Asalamalekun." 

"My name is Peggy Flanagan," she went on. "I am the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, and I'm really honored and humbled to be here with all of you today. I am incredibly clear that the Somali community is part of the fabric of the state of Minnesota."

"I think about my friendship with Nimco [Ahmed], we've been friends for almost 25 years," she said, referring to Ahmed who stood by her side. Ahmed is a Somali community leader who has protested recently against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Ahmed is from Somalia and while she now wears a hijab, she did not always do so.

Ahmed has fought for 20 years to bring Somalis into American political life and supported Amy Klobuchar in her bid for Senate. She served as the state director of the DFL, founded the Minnesota League of Young Voters, and advises the vice president of the Minneapolis City Council on policy.

"And when I think of being part of Minnesota and growing up here, the Somali community has always been a part of my Minnesota," Flanagan continued. "So I want to just encourage the community to know that we're with you. We've got your back. I am here shopping today, and just encourage other folks to show up.

"Support our Somali businesses, support our immigrant neighbors. And I know that things are scary right now, and just know that there are more people who are looking out for you. There are more people who are here to support you than you know. I will continue to stand with the Somali community, to be with you and to do all I can to return the friendship and community that the Somali community has shown me. Thank you so much," she concluded.

Flanagan is also running to represent the state in the US Senate and is facing two primary challengers. In an October podcast, she spoke about her faith, saying that it is her Catholic faith that tells her to "welcome the stranger."

On a radio show, she addressed the massive fraud committed by those in the Somali community, saying that it was "unconscionable." She said that those who committed the fraud should be "prosecuted" and that Walz has "signed an order giving state agencies stronger tools to combat fraud, in addition to the anti fraud agenda that he passed with the legislature last year."

When asked if Minnesota was too permissive in giving out aid, she said "we come from a state that does everything it can to take care of our least fortunate neighbors, and it makes me sick the taxpayer dollars intended for the most vulnerable among us were, were stolen. And I know that, you know, the governor took the lead on this, and I know he's taken a number of actions to strengthen our state agencies and our ability to combat fraud.

"And, you know, in addition to the legislation that passed last year to root out fraud in a more permanent way, like so that this doesn't take place in in the future, but it's been like, you know, it's taken two or three years, though it you know, I think all of the actions that have been taken are very good actions."

Then Flanagan said she's running for Senate to fight Trump, and that he's the real problem. On the issue of healthcare, she suggested that it's time to reduce the number of safeguards to doctors and hospitals providing services, removing the prior authorization many insurance companies require before paying for a service. She is also in favor of providing sex changes for children.