BREAKING IMPEACHMENT NEWS: Hearings on Tim Walz, Keith Ellison Impeachment to Begin Next Week

Impeachment proceedings targeting Minnesota’s top Democratic officials are set to begin next week, as Republican lawmakers escalate efforts to hold state leadership accountable over a sweeping fraud scandal involving taxpayer-funded programs.

Members of the Minnesota House Freedom Caucus confirmed Thursday that hearings concerning Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison will commence April 15 in the Rules Committee.

“It is confirmed that we have impeachment hearings next week, Wednesday, in Rules Committee,” legislators said in a video update. “Please tune in.”

At the center of the push for impeachment is the fallout from the Feeding Our Futures scandal, a massive alleged abuse of COVID-era relief programs that Republicans argue reflects systemic failures—and potential misconduct—at the highest levels of state government.

A House resolution introduced last month accuses Walz of “corrupt conduct in office,” alleging he failed to act despite repeated warnings about widespread fraud within state-administered programs. According to the articles, the governor “was made aware, through briefings, audits, agency reports, or public findings, of substantial and ongoing fraud involving taxpayer money within state programs; failed to take timely and effective action to halt fraud in state programs despite possessing executive authority to do so; allowed fraudulent activity to continue after credible warnings were raised; and created or tolerated an environment in which disclosure of fraud was delayed, minimized, or obscured from legislators and the public.”

Similar accusations are expected to be levied against Ellison, with reports indicating the articles of impeachment will include “crimes and misdemeanors” tied to his conduct in office. Republican state Rep. Mike Wiener, who drafted the resolutions, has also criticized Ellison for what he described as efforts to undermine enforcement of the FACE Act, including defending activists involved in a church protest in St. Paul.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the path forward for impeachment—and especially removal—remains politically challenging.

Minnesota’s House is evenly split between Republicans and members of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, 67–67, meaning GOP lawmakers would need at least one Democrat to break ranks for impeachment to advance. Even if that hurdle is cleared, conviction in the state Senate would require a 45-vote supermajority—well beyond the GOP’s reach, given the DFL’s narrow 34–33 control of the chamber.

Still, the mere initiation of impeachment proceedings marks a dramatic turn for Walz, once viewed as a rising national figure. The two-term governor gained national prominence during the 2024 election cycle, when he was selected as the running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris.

However, that momentum faded following a widely criticized vice presidential debate performance and internal Democratic Party tensions over the ticket. Since then, the unraveling of the Feeding Our Futures scandal has further damaged Walz’s standing, culminating in his announcement that he will not seek a third term and plans to step away from politics at the end of his tenure.

The scandal itself has led to charges and convictions against dozens of individuals accused of exploiting pandemic-era food assistance programs—raising broader concerns about oversight, accountability, and stewardship of public funds.

As hearings begin, Republicans argue the process is about restoring integrity and ensuring that public officials are held responsible when warning signs are ignored.

Whether the effort ultimately leads to removal or stalls along partisan lines, the proceedings are poised to become one of the most consequential political showdowns in Minnesota’s recent history.