(State Rep. Marion Rarick – left, Rep. Walter Hudson – right )
Two state lawmakers from the Wright County area testified this week in Washington, D-C about alleged fraud in Minnesota, largely within programs administered by Minnesota’s Department of Human Services.
Republican State Representatives Marion Rarick of Maple Lake and Walter Hudson of Albertville joined Minnesota House Fraud Prevention Committee Chair Kristin Robbins at the U-S House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
Representative Walter Hudson used his opening comments to describe the extent of the suspected fraud that Deputy U-S Attorney Joe Thompson had previously outlined…
“He estimates that the total amount of criminal fraud over five years may reach 9 billion dollars, which is fully one-half of the money that has been directed to these programs by the state. While Governor Tim Walz and other stakeholders dispute that amount, the point I wish to emphasize is this; whatever the actual number is, the full scope of the problem is not just criminal fraud, but a culture of profiting from government programs in perpetuity…not as a safety net, but as an industry.”
Representative Marion Rarick told committee members about alleged intimidation and retaliation factors that potential fraud whistleblowers say they have faced…
“In our face-to-face meetings with a group of whistleblowers, they revealed that retaliation now includes threats of being fired with cause, which means that you do not get unemployment insurance in the State of Minnesota, being blacklisted from all state agencies…and I would note, our largest counties as well, which are democrat run. And then there was a veiled threat of the use of military intelligence against them. They later informed me that it was discovered that in some targeted employees or suspected whistleblowers personnel files…pictures of their cars and homes.”
Democratic members of the committee emphasized that the problems are not unique to Minnesota, and claimed that President Trump could also be blamed for various types of fraud in the U-S.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and State Attorney General Keith Ellison have been asked to give testimony in front of the committee in later sessions in February.
