Vice President JD Vance is pressing federal prosecutors to investigate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison over allegations they failed to stop widespread social services fraud. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Vance, who has been tapped to lead the Republican Trump administration's anti-fraud efforts, cited in a letter to the Justice Department a report from the Republican-led House Oversight Committee that alleges Walz and Ellison were aware of pervasive misuse of government programs for years and let it flourish.
The Justice Department didn't immediately respond to questions about whether it would open an investigation. It was unclear what potential violations of federal law could support a probe into the Democratic Minnesota officials, who have characterized a separate Justice Department investigation involving state leaders as politically motivated.
A spokesperson for Walz didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Ellison called the allegations unfounded and said there's no evidence his office ignored wrongdoing or failed to act as required by law. He dismissed Vance's referral as "a political stunt from an administration that uses the machinery of government to target its perceived opponents."