Frey Admits ‘Everybody Could Have Done More To Prevent Fraud’

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly acknowledged that fraud involving taxpayer-funded programs in Minnesota is “very real” during a nationally televised appearance, even as Democratic officials increasingly pivot toward claims of harassment rather than accountability for one of the largest welfare fraud scandals in U.S. history.

Frey made the admission Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press amid growing scrutiny over systemic failures that allowed millions—potentially billions—of taxpayer dollars to be siphoned from public assistance programs under Democratic leadership.

“Let me ask you about the leadership in your state,” host Kristen Welker said. “Dozens of people in Minnesota have been charged and convicted with stealing millions of dollars of taxpayer money for taxpayer programs.”

“Do you think Governor Walz did enough to stop the fraud in your state?” Welker continued. “And do you support his decision not to run for reelection?”

Rather than directly answer the question, Frey deflected by praising left-wing policy achievements.

“Well, look, Governor Walz is the reason we’ve got paid leave and family leave in Minnesota,” Frey said. “He’s the reason we’ve got free school lunches.”

Welker quickly cut in.

“But did he do enough to combat fraud, Mayor?”

Cornered, Frey conceded the obvious.

“Obviously, everybody could have done more to prevent fraud,” Frey said. “And I think that’s a fair point to make.”

He then attempted to shift responsibility forward rather than backward.

“Look what he’s doing right now, he’s setting up a whole bunch of infrastructure to do that,” Frey added.

Still, the mayor was forced to admit the scope of the problem.

“The fraud’s real,” Frey continued. “We’ve all got to acknowledge that. When somebody commits fraud, you investigate it, you charge, you prosecute, and you put the person in jail. You do not hold an entire community, any community, accountable for the actions of individuals.”

Frey’s remarks came as Democratic prosecutors and officials moved aggressively to reframe public outrage—not toward the massive fraud itself, but toward criticism of those exposing it.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released a statement claiming members of Minnesota’s Somali community were being targeted following widespread reporting on the scandal.

“Our office is receiving a large number of reports of members of the Somali community being sent hateful, threatening, and disturbing messages,” Moriarty wrote.

“This is the predictable, and absolutely unacceptable, result of far-right propagandists demonizing an entire group of people for the actions of individuals who share their ethnicity,” she continued.

Moriarty urged recipients of threats to contact law enforcement, signaling that prosecutions could follow.

“We are always ready to support our community and do everything in our power to keep each other safe,” she said.

Similarly, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown revealed his office was reviewing those publicizing the fraud allegations—not the fraud itself.

“My office has received outreach from members of the Somali community after reports of home-based daycare providers being harassed and accused of fraud with little to no fact-checking,” Brown wrote on X.

“We are in touch with the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families regarding the claims being pushed online,” he added.

Meanwhile, attention is intensifying around Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who is facing renewed scrutiny over her family’s sudden accumulation of wealth as federal investigations into the fraud scheme expand.

Omar and her husband, political consultant Tim Mynett, disclosed assets between $6 million and $30 million in 2024—a dramatic increase from near financial insolvency when Omar entered Congress just six years ago.

According to a New York Post report, Mynett’s venture capital firm, Rose Lake Capital, surged in value from under $1,000 in 2023 to as much as $25 million a year later. The firm, which operated out of a WeWork office in Washington, D.C., previously claimed to manage “$60 billion in previous assets” through its officers—claims that were quietly scrubbed from its website this fall.

“This reeks of political privilege,” said Paul Kamenar of the National Legal and Policy Center. “Omar entered Congress broke, and now she’s worth tens of millions while her husband’s firm erases its records. She owes voters an explanation.”

As President Donald J. Trump’s administration continues pushing for aggressive enforcement, transparency, and accountability in taxpayer-funded programs, Democrats appear increasingly focused on silencing critics rather than answering the hard questions—questions Minnesota voters and taxpayers across the country are demanding be addressed.