Indy Journalist Accuses Gov. Walz Of $110 Million Child Care Fraud In Viral Video

A viral investigation by influencer Nick Shirley has ignited fresh scrutiny of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after Shirley accused the state of funneling tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to child care centers he claims were not operating.

In a 42-minute video posted to X that has since spread rapidly online, Shirley and his crew visited multiple Minnesota child care facilities during a weekday and reported finding them empty and apparently nonoperational.

“There’s no one here,” Shirley says on camera while standing outside one of the facilities. “This is a prime example of the billions of dollars in fraud happening right now in Minnesota.”

One of the locations highlighted in the video is a Minneapolis facility called Quality Learning Center — except, as Shirley points out, the word “learning” is misspelled on the exterior sign as “learing.” Shirley said the center is licensed for roughly 99 children, yet appeared vacant at the time of his visit.

According to Shirley, the facility received $1.9 million in Child Care Assistance Program funding in 2025, in addition to millions more in prior years. He claims similar irregularities were found across multiple sites.

After publishing the footage, Shirley directly blamed Gov. Walz and his administration for what he described as systemic abuse of taxpayer funds.

“Tim Walz and the fraudsters aren’t escaping this one,” Shirley wrote on X.

“In one day, my crew and I uncovered over $110,000,000 in fraud,” he added.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Shirley wrote. “We the people simply work too hard and pay too much in taxes to allow this to happen. They must be held accountable.”

Shirley has continued escalating his rhetoric, at one point labeling Walz an “American Pirate.”

“Tim is on the clock,” Shirley wrote in another post.

“He will either resign and flee to avoid accountability or be dumb enough to continue his campaign for reelection,” he added.

The video’s reach expanded further after Elon Musk shared it on X with the caption, “Prosecute @GovTimWalz.” Musk has previously clashed with Walz, who has criticized the billionaire for his political involvement.

Walz recently mocked Musk’s appearance at a rally for President Donald Trump, saying Musk “skipped like a dips**t.”

Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, the House majority whip, also weighed in publicly, amplifying Shirley’s claims.

“4 million dollars of hard earned tax dollars going to an education center that can’t even spell learning correctly,” Emmer wrote on X alongside a clip from the video. “Care to explain this one, @TimWalz?”

The controversy comes as Walz’s family is facing separate backlash online. Hope Walz, the governor’s daughter, drew criticism after posting a Christmas Day TikTok video expressing sympathy for illegal immigrants targeted during Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the Twin Cities’ Somali communities.

“I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all,” Walz said in the clip. “Today, I’m holding our neighbors that ICE has been terrorizing near and dear to my heart and sending them all the love and light, as well as all the unhoused folks… just anybody that may be struggling right now I’m holding very close to me.”

The 20-something political activist concluded, “This year has been a tough one for all of us.”

Together, the episodes have fueled renewed criticism of Walz from conservatives who argue Minnesota’s leadership has prioritized ideology over accountability — and left taxpayers to pick up the tab.