Republican lawmakers in Minnesota are blasting Democrat Gov. Tim Walz after documents revealed he spent nearly $430,000 in taxpayer funds on legal preparation for a single congressional hearing investigating sanctuary city policies.

Invoices obtained by the Star Tribune show Walz’s office hired the powerful global law firm K&L Gates to coach him for his June 12 testimony before the GOP-led House Oversight Committee. The hearing centered on Walz’s handling of sanctuary city policies in Minnesota and his refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

According to the records, the governor racked up roughly $232,000 in legal fees in May alone, with the firm billing at an average hourly rate of $516. K&L Gates worked with Walz’s office from April 10 until the day of the hearing, the total cost reaching a staggering $430,000—funded entirely by Minnesota taxpayers.

Minnesota Rep. Jim Nash, one of two Republicans on the state’s Legislative Advisory Commission, blasted the move, questioning why Walz refused to rely on the state’s in-house attorneys and communications staff.

“A half a million dollars of taxpayer money to prepare the governor to go to his old stomping grounds seems exorbitant, particularly since the AG for the state of Minnesota was in Congress with Walz at the same time, and the two of them certainly could have figured out how to do what they were needing to do,” Nash said.

Nash confirmed he intends to further scrutinize the invoices obtained by the Star Tribune.

State Rep. Harry Niska (R) went even further, accusing Walz of abusing taxpayer money for his own political ambitions:

“Tim Walz spent 12 years in Congress — he knows those hearing rooms inside and out, and he certainly knows how to conduct himself in that type of setting. So, why did the governor feel the need to spend $430,000 of taxpayer money on a private firm to ‘prepare’ for this hearing?” Niska asked.

“To be clear, there appears to be no legitimate legal interest of the state in racking up nearly half a million dollars in what amounts to PR consulting as he tries to lay the groundwork for a presidential campaign that’s going absolutely nowhere,” Niska continued.

“It is unconscionable to make hardworking Minnesota taxpayers pay for the governor’s personal national political aspirations.”

Rather than directly justify the massive legal bill, Walz and his team tried to turn the tables, blaming Republicans for holding a hearing he claimed was merely for show.

Teddy Tschann, a spokesperson for Walz, called the Oversight Committee’s session a “planned political stunt on the taxpayer dime”, according to the Star Tribune.

“They were too busy performing for the cameras to even feign interest in hearing from Gov. Walz about Minnesota’s balanced approach to immigration,” Tschann said. “What’s most frustrating is that Tom Emmer and Pete Stauber planned this spectacle knowing what it would cost and went through with it anyway.”

When pressed about the $430,000 tab, Walz deflected:

“Not where I wanted to spend money. It’s not where I wanted to spend my time, and it certainly proved that there was nothing there other than using it as grandstanding,” he said.

Walz’s move is just the latest example of Democrat officials spending lavishly on outside counsel to dodge accountability. Earlier this year, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu disclosed she expected to spend around $650,000 preparing for a congressional hearing. Meanwhile, the City of Denver burned through $250,000 for similar legal coaching for Mayor Mike Johnston, according to Fox News.

Minnesota taxpayers, already burdened by Walz’s high-tax, pro-sanctuary policies, are left footing the bill. Republicans are now signaling deeper investigations into the governor’s use of public funds.