"It’s an ignominious end to an otherwise unremarkable political career. Tim Walz has announced that he is ending his campaign to be re-elected for a third term as governor of Minnesota in the wake of a growing scandal over welfare fraud in the North Star State, with many of the alleged perpetrators members of the local Somali-American community. Walz’s disastrous turn as Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential pick in 2024 earned him a reputation as a political doofus. Now he is the highest-profile casualty of the failure to stop the elaborate – and lucrative – alleged theft of potentially billions of dollars from US taxpayers.
"The full scale of the scandal is still only now becoming clear. Federal prosecutors say that dozens of people have been convicted for their role in multiple schemes, including attempts to bilk state agencies for money meant to deal with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. One estimate puts the amount of money stolen at $1bn, but others suggest that the true cost could be potentially significantly more.
"Republican Representative Mike Haridopolos said the entire affair should be treated like “the mafia”, with the activities akin to “organised crime”, while former House oversight committee chairman Jason Chaffetz has demanded top Minnesota law-makers testify before Congress and account for how the alleged fraud went undetected. Those law-makers would be likely to include Walz, of course, despite the fact that he will be unemployed come January." . . .More...
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