The FBI swept through more than 20 businesses across Minnesota on Tuesday, executing search warrants at day care centers and other facilities tied to an alleged multi-billion-dollar social services fraud scheme, and within hours, the state's lame-duck governor tried to take a bow for the federal government's work.
Gov. Tim Walz, the failed 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee who announced in January he would not seek a third term, posted a thread on X claiming the raids happened because Minnesota's own state agencies "caught irregular behavior and reported it." FBI Director Kash Patel and DHS chief Markwayne Mullin wasted no time setting the record straight.
The reversal is worth examining closely. Walz, who had previously characterized fraud investigations in Minnesota as rooted in "white supremacy," according to the New York Post's reporting, suddenly wanted everyone to know he was tough on fraud all along. The timing tells its own story.
Federal agents executed at least 22 court-authorized search warrants at childcare and daycare centers across Minneapolis on April 28, targeting businesses accused of billing the state for care they did not actually provide, Fox News reported. The targets were largely Somali-owned businesses, and the operation involved a coordinated effort among the FBI, DOJ, and DHS partners. The Justice Department made clear the raids were not related to immigration enforcement.
A DOJ spokesperson confirmed the scope: "Today the FBI with federal, state and local law enforcement is involved in court-authorized law enforcement activity as part of an ongoing fraud investigation."
One of the locations raided was the "Quality Learing Center." The Washington Times reported that Patel publicly pushed back on Walz's attempt to claim the operation as a state-driven success, asserting that the FBI and DOJ initiated and carried out the warrants.
DHS separately confirmed its role. Breitbart reported a DHS statement saying: "Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with our law enforcement partners executed criminal search warrants in Minneapolis relating to the rampant fraud of U.S. taxpayers dollars."
Walz moved quickly on X to frame the raids as a vindication of his governance. He posted:
"If you commit fraud in Minnesota you're going to get caught, and that's exactly what we saw today. We catch criminals when state and federal agencies share information. Joint investigations work, and securing justice depends on it."
He followed up with a second post claiming state agencies deserved the credit for triggering the investigation:
"Today's raids by state and federal law enforcement happened because our state agencies caught irregular behavior and reported it. That's how the system is supposed to work, and our agencies will keep at it as long as there are fraudsters around to put behind bars."
But the City of Minneapolis itself had already undercut that narrative. Minutes before Walz posted, the city's official X account stated plainly: "The City of Minneapolis is not involved in the federal operations being reported around Minnesota today, and as of 9:30 a.m., MPD has not been asked to assist with the execution of federal warrants."
Patel, who has made aggressive federal enforcement a hallmark of his tenure as FBI director, was blunt in his response.
"Come again? This FBI and DOJ with our DHS partners drafted and executed every search warrant today. But go ahead and take credit for our work while we smoke out the fraud plaguing Minnesota under your governorship."
DHS chief Markwayne Mullin was even more direct. He posted on X that Walz had "willingly ignored and downplayed the rampant fraud and abuse in Minnesota."
"@GovTimWalz, you have willingly ignored and downplayed the rampant fraud and abuse in Minnesota. This crackdown on fraud has come thanks to the leadership of President Trump. We will hold those who steal from Americans accountable."
Mullin's assessment of Walz's standing on the issue was succinct: "You have *zero* credibility on this issue."
The scale of the alleged fraud dwarfs typical government waste. Some estimates place the total amount of federal funds stolen in Minnesota's social services fraud scheme as high as $19 billion. For perspective, that figure exceeds the entire gross domestic product of Somalia, $12 billion, according to World Bank figures cited in reporting on the case.
The Newsmax report on the raids noted that the probe is tied to alleged misuse of government program funds including pandemic-era relief, child care subsidies, and Medicaid-related funding, a sprawling web of taxpayer dollars allegedly siphoned through fraudulent billing.
Walz did not stop at claiming credit. He also tried to redirect the conversation entirely, posting a call for a "joint investigation" into two killings he attributed to federal immigration agents earlier this year.
"Now let's work on a joint investigation into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, instead of cherry-picking when we seek justice and when we turn a blind eye."
The pivot was notable. Faced with a massive federal operation exposing fraud that allegedly flourished under his watch, the outgoing governor's instinct was to change the subject to an unrelated grievance against the Trump administration. The pattern is familiar: when the facts are uncomfortable, shift the frame.
Patel has built a record of publicizing FBI enforcement actions under his leadership, from Antifa convictions to espionage charges. The Minnesota fraud operation fits squarely within that agenda, a high-profile, coordinated federal action targeting the kind of large-scale theft from public programs that erodes trust in government at every level.
The FBI director has also faced his share of political conflict. He recently filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic, and congressional investigations have revealed the extent to which prior administrations scrutinized his activities. None of that has slowed the pace of operations under his watch.
Tuesday's raids raise questions the public deserves answered. No arrests, charges, or seizures have been announced in connection with the warrants. The names of the more than 20 businesses raided, beyond the Quality Learing Center, have not been disclosed. The exact source behind the $19 billion estimate remains unclear.
Vice President JD Vance weighed in on X, writing: "The task force and the DOJ will be relentless in exposing these fraudsters wherever they may be hiding."
And there is the broader question of accountability. If a fraud scheme of this magnitude operated across Minnesota for years, through pandemic-era relief programs, child care subsidies, and Medicaid funding, the state's failure to catch it earlier is not a talking point to celebrate. It is a record to answer for.
Walz had previously dismissed concerns about fraud investigations in the state, and his administration did not prevent the alleged scheme from growing to a scale that federal officials now describe in the billions. The pattern of federal agencies stepping in where state leadership failed is becoming a recurring feature of this administration's enforcement posture.
The City of Minneapolis said it was not involved. The Minneapolis Police Department said it was not asked to help. The FBI said it drafted and executed every warrant. And Tim Walz said it was all thanks to him.
When the bill for billions in stolen taxpayer money comes due, credit-claiming is not the same as accountability. Minnesota voters, and federal prosecutors, will eventually sort out the difference.
