RismadarVoice Reporters, June 9, 2026
US Vice President, J.D. Vance, has referred Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz and state Attorney General, Keith Ellison to the Justice Department for a criminal fraud investigation, alleging that the two Democratic officials facilitated widespread fraud in federally funded social services programmes.
The referral, announced on Monday, was prompted by a report from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee which alleged that both officials were aware of large-scale taxpayer fraud in state social programmes for years and failed to act. “Minnesota state officials are not above the law,” Vance wrote, warning of consequences for anyone who lied under oath or intimidated whistleblowers.
Spokespeople for Walz and Ellison dismissed the GOP report, and neither office immediately responded to the criminal referral.
The move is the latest in a series of federal actions targeting Minnesota under the Trump administration. In February, Vance and Medicare administrator Mehmet Oz froze federal Medicaid reimbursements to the state a decision Walz called “a campaign of retribution.” Federal agencies conducted raids in April over separate welfare fraud allegations, which the administration linked to Minnesota’s Somali community.
It is also not the first time Walz himself has been in the Justice Department’s crosshairs. A separate DOJ probe launched in January alleges he and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey conspired to obstruct federal immigration enforcement an investigation Walz has described as politically motivated.
Walz was former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
