Vice president and White House fraud czar JD Vance has asked the Justice Department to investigate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison over their handling of Medicaid fraud complaints.

Vance made the referral after receiving a 205-page report from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee alleging senior Minnesota officials failed to address widespread fraud in federally funded social services programs. The committee estimated almost $300 million in federal child nutrition funds and $9 billion in Medicaid-related funds were misused.

“Minnesota state officials are not above the law, and if they facilitated fraud, lied under oath about what they knew, or harassed and intimated whistleblowers, they must face justice,” Vance wrote on X on Tuesday.

Walz and the Minnesota Department of Human Services have said fraud is being addressed in the state, but Walz called the estimated amounts “sensationalized.”

“The allegations in the House Republican report are unfounded, and Vice President Vance’s referral is a political stunt from an administration that uses the machinery of government to target its perceived opponents while extending leniency to those aligned with its interests,” Ellison said in a statement issued to MS NOW by his office. “It is deeply troubling to see official powers and public resources diverted away from serving the people and instead aimed at pursuing political adversaries. That is not what government is for, and it diminishes public trust in our institutions.”

In the report, the committee alleged Walz’s and Ellison’s offices were made aware of fraud tips but went to “great lengths to keep them quiet, including intimidation through regular check-ins with high-level agency officials and threats of surveillance.”

The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the referral and did not confirm if it was pursuing an investigation. A referral from Congress or another official does not automatically mean the DOJ must pursue an investigation.

However, the DOJ under former Attorney General Pam Bondi and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has rarely failed to act on matters that President Donald Trump has declared important to him.

Trump nominated Blanche for the position permanently Monday.

Minnesota, and Somalian immigrants in particular, became a target of the Trump administration after right-wing influencer Nick Shirley posted a video visiting several child care centers in Minneapolis, alleging they were empty or closed, and therefore misusing public funds. Shirley posted the video in December, months after the state itself had publicly flagged several providers as high risks for fraud and begun working with federal authorities to address it, including securing indictments.

During his State of the Union address in February, Trump seized on the outrage generated by the video by announcing a fraud task force to be led by Vance.

“You had people within Gov. Walz’s office who were saying, ‘You know what, this looks like fraud. It looks like these Somalian illegal immigrants are doing something that’s very shady,’” the vice president said in a Fox News interview late Monday.

“And then you had people who shut them down, who shut these whistleblowers down and said, ‘You know, you’re a racist or you’re a xenophobe for asking questions about where taxpayer money is going,’” he said.

Walz spokesman Teddy Tschann dismissed the committee’s allegations as politically motivated and hypocritical.

“Gov. Walz is glad to see fraudsters are going to prison,” Tschann said in a statement to MS NOW. “If the committee is concerned about corruption, they should investigate why President Trump continues to let fraudsters out of prison.”

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President Donald Trump was “thunderously booed” Monday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City when he was shown on the Jumbotron ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, according to the White House press pool report.

The stadium’s reaction comes after some New York Knicks fans warned he would not receive a warm welcome during the home game matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, despite New York City being the president’s hometown.

The White House press pool report described the boos as “loud and long” and noted the reaction “quickly changed to cheers when the camera quickly panned to [Knicks guard] Jalen Brunson on the court.”

Trump was “standing with his hand over his heart” during the National Anthem as he was met with boos, the pool report said, adding that he was standing between his granddaughter Kai Trump and Knicks owner James Dolan, who “seemed to be smirking at the boos.”

The president’s posse included several administration officials, also watching in the suite, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

At least one Trump official made a courtside appearance with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick seated next to rappers Fat Joe and famed producer DJ Khaled.

The Knicks came into Monday night’s game leading the series 2-0, and fans are hoping for a sweep. But their 13-game winning streak came to a grinding halt Monday night with a 115-111 loss to the Spurs.

Trump, who was invited to attend by Dolan, is the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game. Security at the arena had been enhanced in response, and fans attending the game were encouraged to arrive at least two hours before tipoff to allow extra time for TSA-style screening.

To many fans’ disappointment, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the watch party typically held outside MSG during games was canceled due to Trump’s visit after the mayor, the U.S. Secret Service and the NYPD determined that it would hinder the heightened security measures required for Trump.

Mamdani announced Monday that Bryant Park would serve as a free alternative Knicks watch party location.

The president’s attendance comes against the backdrop of high-stakes elections and international conflict, including the war with Iran, which has entered its 15th week, marking just over 100 days since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack against the country on Feb. 28. His visit also comes weeks after he declined to attend the wedding of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., citing “a thing called Iran and other things.”

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President Donald Trump on Monday formally nominated his longtime loyalist and former personal defense lawyer Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general permanently.

Blanche has been serving as the nation’s top prosecutor in an acting capacity after Pam Bondi was fired by Trump in April. Blanche was Bondi’s deputy at the time.

The nomination has been sent to the Senate.

Blanche likely faces an uphill battle to get confirmed by senators who have castigated him over his handling of the Justice Department’s release of the Epstein files, his efforts to prosecute officials who Trump has targeted for retaliation and the president’s “anti-weaponization” fund, which has drawn bipartisan scorn.
 
“Donald Trump has been engaged in the most corrupt enterprise in the history of the Presidency. Todd Blanche apparently has not noticed,” said Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Senate Democratic Whip and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Still, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has expressed optimism that Blanche has enough support to win confirmation.

“Blanche is well-qualified and has shown his dedication to restoring law and order across our country,” Grassley said in a statement announcing that the Senate received Trump’s nomination. “The Senate Judiciary Committee’s work to process Blanche’s nomination is underway.”

Blanche came under renewed scrutiny when he pushed for a nearly $1.8 billion settlement fund for people seeking damages from the federal government, including Jan. 6 Capitol rioters. After a court order temporarily blocking it and fierce criticism from lawmakers in his own party, Blanche reversed course on the fund and said it would not be pursued.

Prior to the settlement fund controversy, Bondi and Blanche have faced backlash over the Epstein files from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle during their tenure in the Department of Justice.

As part of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the DOJ was required to publish unclassified material related to the prosecution of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Members of Congress accused both of mishandling the department’s Epstein-related documents by failing to protect the names and images of survivors, omitting the identities of some prominent figures and surveilling their search history of the files.

When she sat before the House Oversight Committee in May, Bondi acknowledged redaction errors but appeared to blame Blanche for the botched release of the Epstein files.

“As the head of a large Department with broad responsibilities, I did not lead every aspect of this effort or conduct that document review myself,” Bondi said. “I delegated oversight over this process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.”

Bondi later denied blaming Blanche and praised him as “an incredible Attorney General” for what she characterized as a complicated and laborious task.

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In an explosive interview with NBC aired Sunday, President Donald Trump cut the grilling short and left the set after peppering “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker with insults.

“You’re either crooked or you’re stupid,” Trump told Welker, who kept a cool demeanor despite the president’s barrage of disparaging slurs.

Moments before he attacked her, Trump — without providing any evidence — said he believes elections in the U.S. are rigged. Then he lambasted television news networks, singling out NBC, CBS and ABC.

“They’re crooked just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” Trump said.

“To be fair, I’m not crooked,” Welker shot back. “But let’s continue.”

“Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough,” the president told Welker, who is the second woman and first Black journalist to helm the network’s flagship program.

Trump added, “Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”

It was not the first time Trump has berated a female journalist on the job covering his presidency.

In November 2025, he told Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey to stop talking, saying, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.” One month later, he told ABC’s Rachel Scott she was “the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place.” Last month, he called MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardner “a dumb person” for pointing out that the cost of his White House ballroom project had doubled since it was first announced.

He has also repeatedly lashed out at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, criticizing her for not smiling enough.

The wide-ranging interview, which was taped last week on a farm in Wisconsin, was interrupted by the loud sound of heavy rain on the metal roof of the barn where they met. Welker questioned Trump on his war with Iran, his “anti-weaponization” fund and the upcoming midterm elections.

On his nearly $1.8 billion fund aimed at compensating people who say they were wrongly prosecuted, including Jan. 6 Capitol rioters, Trump said “people were destroyed by dirty cops and by weaponization. Many of those people should be compensated.”

He described the people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as people who were “being ushered into the building” by law enforcement.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the fund last month and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said last week the administration would not be moving forward with the fund, which faced bipartisan backlash.

When asked if the administration would pursue other avenues to revive it, Trump said he does not know what will ultimately happen and called Welker and her network “the fake dirty press.”

Despite campaigning on a promise to end foreign wars, Trump denied that he made such statements. He characterized the Iran war, launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28, as necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

When asked about the rising cost of living as a result of the war, specifically gas and fertilizer, Trump chastised Welker.

“Are you ready? Am I allowed to talk? You keep asking questions and you don’t listen to the answers,” he said.

“I love the farmers and the farmers love me,” Trump said, adding that prices will come down after the war.

Welker suggested to her viewers Sunday that she and the president had a cordial conversation Saturday, saying they both “acknowledged the complications” posed by the rain. “He agreed to sit down with me for another ‘Meet the Press’ interview,” she said.

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