Comer Says He’ll Subpoena Tim Walz As Minnesota Fraud Probe Deepens
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is signaling that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz may soon face a congressional subpoena as investigators dig deeper into what appears to be one of the most egregious fraud scandals to emerge from the COVID-era welfare apparatus. At the center of the probe is an alleged billion-dollar scheme in which taxpayer dollars meant for child nutrition, housing assistance, and autism services were funneled through nonprofits and ultimately pocketed by individuals — many of whom, prosecutors say, were tied to Somali-run organizations.
Comer’s warning — delivered during an interview with Just the News — comes as patience wears thin with Minnesota officials, who Republicans argue have stonewalled federal inquiries and refused to fully account for how pandemic-era programs collapsed into chaos.
“If anyone that has received correspondence from us thus far requesting information, if they don’t turn over that information, then they will get a subpoena. And we’re serious about this. We’re not going to back down,” Comer told the outlet this week.
The sprawling scandal has centered heavily on groups such as “Feeding Our Future,” which prosecutors allege fabricated meal counts and other services to siphon off more than $1 billion in government funds. The fallout has already drawn national attention — not only because of the massive losses to taxpayers, but because some investigators believe portions of the money may have traveled overseas, potentially reaching Al-Shabaab, a dangerous Islamist terrorist organization operating in Somalia.
In Comer’s view, top Democrats in Minnesota have chosen deflection over transparency. He argued that Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison have “hid” from accountability as federal and state probes continue.
“You know, Walz gets due process, but the way he’s handling this, and the way Ellison, the attorney general, has kind of hid right now, makes me pretty confident that there’s a massive amount of waste, fraud and abuse that’s about to be detected here, and I’m going to predict that Walz’s political career is closer to an end than somewhere in the middle,” Comer said.
For Republicans, the Minnesota case is emblematic of a deeper pattern: Democratic-run states expanding welfare programs faster than they can police them. That argument gained further momentum earlier this year when the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reviewed and canceled a batch of USAID grants supporting various international programs — including LGBT-oriented initiatives in Guatemala and a $20 million children’s television project in Iraq, Just the News reported.
Comer suggested Minnesota is unlikely to be an isolated example.
“I think what we’re going to find in Minnesota is probably happening in many other states. Minnesota could be, and hopefully is, the worst offender, but there are other blue states run by Democratic [Party] governors who refuse to turn over any data, not only to Congress, but to cabinet secretaries like Brooke Rollins who are trying to get a handle on programs like SNAP,” he told the outlet.
The Oversight Chairman has also continued pressing forward on evidence of Biden-family corruption, releasing bank records showing Hunter Biden received roughly $6.5 million from Burisma during his time on the Ukrainian gas giant’s board — despite having no experience in the energy sector. Former business associate Devon Archer testified that Hunter regularly placed his father, then–Vice President Joe Biden, on speakerphone with foreign partners more than 20 times, describing it as part of leveraging the “Biden brand.”
Comer further highlighted that Joe Biden’s pressure campaign in 2015 to oust Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin aligned with reported concerns from Burisma executives seeking protection from legal scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the internal turmoil in Minnesota continues to grow. Newsweek reported that an anonymous X account claiming to speak on behalf of 480 employees at the Minnesota Department of Human Services blasted Walz — who served as Kamala Harris’ running mate in 2024 — declaring he “has failed Minnesota.” The account added: “Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota.”