Reputation associated with his military record already shattered, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz now faces a reckoning tied to a signature education accomplishment – feeding schoolchildren – from a congressional committee chaired by a North Carolina congresswoman.
Called the “largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the nation,” U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., on Wednesday sent a letter and subpoena to Walz and his state administration associated with the federal child nutrition programs and Feeding Our Future, and to the Biden administration’s U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Office of Inspector General
Walz is Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate on the Democratic ticket.
More than 70 individuals were charged in 2022 by a United States attorney for “roles in defrauding the USDA of $250 million in taxpayer funds – money intended to feed hungry children,” a release from the Committee on Education & The Workforce in the U.S. House of Representatives says. Five have been convicted, dozens await trial, with charges inclusive of but not limited to bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.
“As the chief executive and the highest-ranking official in the state of Minnesota, you are responsible for the MDE and its administration of FCNPs,” the letter from Foxx reads. “Statements in the press by you and your representatives indicate that you and other executive officers were involved, or had knowledge of, MDE’s administration of the FCNP and responsibilities and actions regarding the massive fraud.”
On the official website for the office of Minnesota governor, Walz touts an accomplishment in providing free breakfast and lunch at school for the state’s students. The program names involved in the charges are not included.
Walz has been a lightning rod of criticism for the Harris campaign since she picked him Aug. 6. He campaigned for years for Congress and governor falsely representing his National Guard rank and place of service, even wrongly labeling a challenge coin; his record for actions during the COVID-19 era have drawn condemnation; and his handling of riots following the death of George Floyd drew criticism even from himself.
