Vance demands Justice Department probe of Minnesota officials as White
House presses 'war on fraud'
[June 10, 2026]
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance is pressing federal
prosecutors to investigate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney
General Keith Ellison over allegations they failed to stop widespread
social services fraud, amplifying concerns the White House will use a
new Justice Department division to target political rivals.
Vance, who has been tapped to lead the Trump administration's anti-fraud
efforts as he seeks to raise his political profile as a potential 2028
presidential candidate, cited in a letter to the Justice Department a
report from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee that alleges
Walz and Ellison were aware of pervasive abuse of government programs
for years and let it flourish.
The Justice Department didn't immediately respond to questions Tuesday
about whether it would open an investigation. It was unclear what, if
any, potential violations of federal law could support a probe into the
Democratic Minnesota officials, who have defended their efforts to
combat fraud and have characterized a separate Justice Department
investigation involving state leaders as politically motivated.
Minnesota has long been under a microscope for staggering amounts of
fraud in programs for children and other social services, with dozens of
defendants charged under the administrations of President Joe Biden, a
Democrat, and President Donald Trump, a Republican. Vance’s referral for
an investigation into state leaders, however, marks an escalation in the
Trump administration’s stated “war on fraud” that officials have said
would not be political or partisan.
Vance is seeking an investigation by a new Justice Department division
that has drawn intense scrutiny over the potential for political
influence given its close relationship with Trump’s White House. The
White House announced the division's formation in January and initially
said its leader would answer directly to the president instead of the
typical Justice Department command.
Walz spokesperson Teddy Tschann derided the House committee as “nothing
more than a joke” that continues to “re-hash COVID-era fraud.”
“Governor Walz is glad to see fraudsters are going to prison,” Tschann
said in an email. “If the committee is concerned about corruption, they
should investigate why President Trump continues to let fraudsters out
of prison.” Trump has granted clemency to numerous defendants convicted
of financial crimes, including a man sentenced to 50 years in prison for
orchestrating a more than $200 million Medicare fraud scheme.
Ellison called the allegations unfounded and dismissed Vance’s referral
as “a political stunt from an administration that uses the machinery of
government to target its perceived opponents while extending leniency to
those aligned with its interests.”
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Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters upon arriving on Air
Force Two at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP
Photo/Matt Rourke, Pool)
“It is deeply troubling to see official powers and public resources
diverted away from serving the people and instead aimed at pursuing
political adversaries,” Ellison said in a statement. “That is not what
government is for, and it diminishes public trust in our institutions.”
The House committee alleges that “fraud warnings were elevated to the
most senior levels of the Minnesota state government" and payments
continued “long after credible signs of fraud emerged.” In his referral,
Vance wrote that officials in Minnesota or anywhere else in the country
“must be held accountable” if they facilitated fraud, prevented
officials from stopping it or retaliated against whistleblowers who
tried to report it.
“Minnesota state officials are not above the law,” Vance wrote in a post
on X.
The Trump administration has clashed repeatedly with Minnesota officials
not only about fraud but also the massive federal immigration crackdown
that swept across the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and other communities
and led to widespread protests.
The Justice Department in January served grand jury subpoenas to
Minnesota officials as part of an investigation into whether they
obstructed or impeded federal law enforcement through public statements
they made. The status of that investigation is unclear.
The Trump administration has touted the creation of the National Fraud
Enforcement Division as a crucial step in its efforts to prevent the
misuse of taxpayer dollars. The division's leader, Assistant Attorney
General Colin McDonald, is a veteran prosecutor who has vowed to pursue
cases “without fear or favor."
Critics, however, have questioned the administration's motives behind
the new division given that fraud was already prosecuted by the agency's
Criminal Division, which last year announced the largest coordinated
takedown of healthcare fraud schemes in Justice Department history.
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