Tim Walz's daughter says there's 'enough truth' to claims of Somali day care fraud in in Minnesota

Speaking on her father’s sudden decision to drop his reelection bid, Hope Walz, the daughter of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, admitted that there was "enough truth" to claims of widespread fraud in social programs in the state.

Speaking with One Hour Detours host John O’Sullivan, Walz said, "I think there was enough truth to the fraud claim," adding that people "were able to twist it and amplify it and whatnot because it is being dealt with. They were just able to frame it in a way that benefited them."

She later added, "There is truth to, you know, there is fraud that needs to be dealt with. And so, it’s just like something they could latch onto and then twist however they needed to."

During the discussion, she said her father began to reconsider running for reelection "with things rapidly changing within the last month," and came to a final decision over the holidays. It was during this time that a renewed focus came upon Minnesota with Nick Shirley’s video focusing on allegations of fraud at Somali-run daycares in Minnesota.

Walz said, "I don’t want to speak for him, but I think when things started getting really intense for me like on my social media and then people even saying things like to [her brother] Gus and stuff, I think that’s when he was really like, 'Okay, like, I need to evaluate what’s best for the state and then I need to evaluate what’s best for my family.'" She added, "And then, I think it was just kind of a natural conclusion."

Tim Walz announced on Monday morning that he was not seeking reelection. He said in a statement, "As I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all. Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences. So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work."

Over 90 people have been charged with fraud in relation to the Feeding Our Future case out of Minnesota, in which organizers have been accused of pocketing funds that were meant to go towards feeding hungry children. Dozens of people have been convicted in that case, many of whom are part of Minnesota’s Somali community.

The fraud allegations spread beyond that organization, with Shirley’s video focusing on daycares in the state. First Assistant US Attorney Joe Thompson has estimated that at least $9 billion has been defrauded from Medicaid services in the state since 2018.