The Trump administration and the FBI have been working for months to uncover tens of billions of dollars in Medicaid and other fraud in Minnesota.
The fraud seems to have exploded under current Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s watch, with much of it concentrated in Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Somali community living in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region.
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Now, as Walz’s time in office is coming to a close, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate seeking to take his place will inherit a mess she seems oblivious to, based on an analysis of her communications while serving as a U.S. senator from Minnesota.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar issued more than 1,000 press releases over four years without once mentioning Minnesota’s sprawling social services fraud scandal, according to a review highlighted by her Republican opponent in the governor’s race.
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Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, is using the findings to challenge Klobuchar’s record as federal agencies and prosecutors investigate fraud schemes that authorities say could ultimately involve more billions of dollars in taxpayer money.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Demuth pointed to a review of press releases issued by Klobuchar’s Senate office between Jan. 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2025.
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The review reportedly found no references to Feeding Our Future, the now-defunct nonprofit at the center of one of Minnesota’s largest fraud cases, or to several related social services fraud investigations that have dominated state politics.
Researchers searched more than 1,000 releases for terms including “Minnesota fraud,” “social services fraud,” “Medicaid fraud,” “autism fraud,” “Housing Stabilization Services,” “child nutrition fraud,” “DHS fraud,” “nonprofit fraud” and “Feeding Our Future.”
None of those terms appeared, according to the review.
Klobuchar’s Senate office did issue statements and press releases addressing other types of fraud during the same four-year period, Demuth’s review found.
However, there were none specifically addressing the massive fraud investigations unfolding in Minnesota.
“As Feeding Our Future was breaking and all of the fraud that was being talked about, the absent voice that I was noticing was Senator Klobuchar,” Demuth told Fox News.
Demuth is now seeking to make that absence a campaign issue, arguing that Klobuchar failed to publicly confront one of the biggest controversies facing her home state.
The Feeding Our Future scandal erupted publicly in January 2022 and has since grown into a sweeping investigation of fraud involving federal money distributed through Minnesota’s social services programs.
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Federal prosecutors have uncovered multiple schemes involving taxpayer-funded programs, with estimates suggesting the overall losses across Minnesota’s fraud cases could potentially reach billions of dollars.
The controversy became a major political liability for Walz and his administration as questions mounted over how widespread fraud was allowed to continue and whether state officials had adequate safeguards in place to detect and stop it.
The issue ultimately became one of the defining controversies surrounding Walz’s tenure. On Jan. 5, 2026, he announced that he would not seek a third term as governor.
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At the time, critics argued that the fraud scandal had overwhelmed his administration, pointing not merely to allegations but to criminal prosecutions and documented theft involving enormous amounts of taxpayer money.
The fallout has continued beyond Walz’s decision to leave office, with Minnesota’s handling of fraud and government oversight emerging as a major issue heading into the 2026 gubernatorial election.
Klobuchar easily won the Democratic primary and now enters the November general election as the favorite to succeed Walz as Minnesota’s next governor.
With fraud and government accountability emerging as major issues in the race, Klobuchar has sought to make combating waste and abuse a central part of her campaign.
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Earlier this month, she released a campaign advertisement promising to order a comprehensive state audit on her first day in office to identify waste, fraud, and abuse throughout Minnesota government.
“It’s time for results, not excuses,” Klobuchar wrote on X while promoting the proposal.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
