Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty Accuses State Leaders of Inaction on Alleged Somali Community Fraud Scams

By Nicole Weatherholtz
Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has condemned current state leadership for allegedly delaying aggressive investigations into fraud allegations involving the state’s Somali immigrant community, claiming officials feared being labeled racist.

Describing the situation as “appalling,” Pawlenty warned that Minnesota taxpayers had been betrayed by repeated failures to monitor public programs and risked facing what he called “probably the largest fraud or theft of public funds in American history.” According to Pawlenty, the alleged schemes included child care centers and numerous other state programs now exposed as fraudulent.

He criticized the state government’s longstanding “world-class incompetence and world-class stupidity,” noting taxpayers had paid into these programs “in good faith” only to discover money had been stolen under fraudulent circumstances. A major factor, he argued, was a political culture that encouraged ignoring misconduct when it involved individuals from favored ethnic or religious groups.

Pawlenty pointed to a local television report from 2018 highlighting state workers’ refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, stating employees would “not give relevant records because they didn’t want to ‘enable’ law enforcement.” When asked about the role of Somali immigrants in alleged misconduct, he emphasized ethnicity should not shield wrongdoing: “We don’t want to stigmatize people because they belong to a particular ethnic group or religious group… but at the same time, we don’t want to discount or overlook illegal behavior.”

Pawlenty asserted Minnesota officials were deterred from pursuing the investigation more aggressively due to fears of racial accusations. He warned this issue could significantly impact Governor Tim Walz’s legacy and reelection prospects, suggesting Walz should not seek a third term. “The magnitude of it is… going to leave Gov. Walz with the legacy of being the ‘Fraudfather’ of Minnesota,” he said.

He also dismissed calls for Walz’s resignation, noting his current lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, would be an even greater challenge if she assumed power.