A Democrat governor guilty of mismanagement and fraud? Can’t be! (that was sarcasm, by the way). Sorry, but it’s true. While misappropriation of paper money printed by the Fed is common, and more common – I’d argue – where Democrat machines control the politics, even folksy governor Tim Walz has found himself a suspect.
[An independent] audit revealed that a significant portion of these funds was improperly distributed to ineligible recipients. This misuse of funds has sparked outrage among lawmakers, who argue that these bonuses were critical to supporting those who worked on the front lines during the pandemic.
The audit also found issues within taxpayer-funded mental health and addiction programs, where conflicts of interest were not adequately addressed. One agency, responsible for distributing grants to these programs, was criticized for failing to prevent individuals with direct financial interests from benefiting improperly. Despite these concerns being raised in a 2021 audit, the agency has yet to take corrective action.
Perhaps the most damning revelation from the audit involves the largest COVID-era fraud scheme in U.S. history: the mismanagement of a food aid program for children, known as Feeding Our Future. Federal prosecutors have labeled this fraud as one of the most significant financial scandals to emerge from the pandemic. According to the audit, more than $250 million was stolen from the program, which was meant to provide meals to needy children during school closures. Instead, the funds were diverted for personal luxury expenses, including the purchase of luxury cars and vacations.
One has to wonder if, as VP, we should expect to see VP Biden-level shenanigans. I know it seems difficult to imagine, and Walz wasn’t a scheming US senator for decades, so it’s also unlikely. He does not have the connections. But he has the inclinations or the incompetence to allow it under his nose, and he’d be the president of the US Senate with access to any number of confidence scams common to that level of connectivity.
To date, more than 70 individuals have been charged in connection with the scheme, with 20 already convicted. The Minnesota Department of Education, responsible for overseeing the program, was faulted in the audit for missing early warning signs of the fraud. Critics argue that the department’s failure to detect these issues earlier allowed the fraud to grow to unprecedented levels.
Governor Walz has acknowledged the failings outlined in the audit, calling the findings related to the Minnesota Department of Education a “fair critique.” He admitted that some state employees did not carry out their responsibilities effectively, but stressed that no state employees were involved in illegal activities.
That seems to contradict the evidence and the audit. The state government managed the alledged. How exactly was that possible without state employee involvement?
