Vice President JD Vance said Monday that he had referred allegations involving Minnesota state officials to the Department of Justice’s new Fraud Division for a possible criminal investigation into fraud and misconduct within the state’s taxpayer-funded healthcare and social service programs.The announcement came after the Republican-led House oversight committee released a 205-page report alleging that officials in Gov. Tim Walz’s administration retaliated against state employees who raised concerns about fraud. According to the report, Minnesota Department of Human Services officials enlisted private investigators and outside law firms to scrutinize whistleblowers, monitor employees who reported suspected abuse, and employ intimidation tactics. In one instance, a DHS manager allegedly suggested using military connections to track the whereabouts of employees, raising fraud concerns.“I’ve referred these allegations to DOJ’s new Fraud Division for criminal investigation,” Vance wrote on X. “Minnesota state officials are not above the law, and if they facilitated fraud, lied under oath about what they knew, or harassed and intimidated whistleblowers, they must face justice.”
House oversight committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) described the findings as one of the most significant oversight failures his committee has examined.
