Walz Defends Minnesota Welfare Fraud Response on Kimmel

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz defended his state's welfare programs and addressed a ongoing fraud investigation during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday, attributing political criticism of the scandal to efforts by Republicans to target immigrant communities.

The interview focused on multiple cases of benefits fraud uncovered in Minnesota over the past several years, involving state-funded initiatives such as the Feeding Our Future program and Medicaid. Federal authorities estimated in December that the schemes could involve more than $9 billion in losses, a figure disputed by Walz and other state officials. Kimmel asked Walz whether it had taken an unusually long time for his administration to detect the fraud or if reports of it were exaggerated.

Walz responded that such fraud occurs in other states as well and noted that many individuals involved had been prosecuted as early as 2021. "It happens in other states," he said. "He used it as an excuse because it was a perfect thing to do to say there was fraud. Imagine that, you know, coming from this guy. He would know fraud where it was at." Referencing former President Donald Trump, Walz accused him of exploiting...