At a House Oversight Committee hearing on alleged fraud in Minnesota, Rep. Emily Randall (D-Wash.) urged scrutiny of crimes by "American citizens" and "White men," citing various crime statistics. Her remarks followed the announcement that Gov. Tim Walz would not seek re-election amid reports prosecutors say the state may have lost up to $9 billion to abuse of assistance programs. The White House condemned Randall's comments, while investigators described large-scale schemes in Minnesota involving entities posing as service providers and allegedly siphoning millions in public funds.
Democratic Lawmaker Urges Focus On 'White Men' During Heated Minnesota Fraud Hearing
Rep. Emily Randall, D-Wash. speaks during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee meeting at the U.S. Capitol March 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
A Democratic lawmaker's comments at a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing on alleged fraud in Minnesota sparked controversy after she urged investigators to scrutinize crimes committed by "American citizens" and "White men." The exchange came amid mounting political fallout in Minnesota after prosecutors said the state may have lost as much as $9 billion through abuses of government assistance programs.
At the hearing, several Republicans and Democrats debated the scope and focus of the committee's inquiries. Some Democrats used their time to raise broader issues related to the Trump administration and the Jan. 6 attacks rather than concentrating solely on the alleged fraud schemes.
During questioning of Republican Minnesota state Rep. Kristin Robbins, Rep. Emily Randall (D-Wash.) said the panel should also consider crimes committed by White men and certain Jan. 6 defendants. Randall cited statistics in her remarks, including her assertion that "57%" of sexual assaults are committed by White men, and referenced other figures she said showed 41% of murder suspects in 2023 were White. She also cited data about pardoned Jan. 6 defendants later convicted of other crimes.
"We can trot out all the data that we want to create the sense that there is a bad guy. There is a bad group of people… And I think we should spend a lot more time looking at ourselves," Randall said.
Randall added: "Looking at American citizens. Looking at White men who are committing violence at disproportionate rates in our country, who are committing crimes at disproportionate rates in our country, including the President of the United States…"
The White House publicly criticized Randall's comments. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson called her remarks "very sick," accusing Randall of "unhinged rantings" and saying she was defending people who defraud taxpayers. The article was later updated to include that White House response.
Separately, investigators have reported large-scale fraud schemes in Minnesota involving entities posing as daycare centers, medical providers and food assistance organizations. Authorities allege these groups siphoned millions of dollars from government programs by inventing services or inflating the number of people they claimed to serve.
"The fraudsters — many of whom are from Minnesota’s Somali community — have stolen from programs meant to feed needy kids, provide services to autistic children, house low-income and disabled Americans and provide healthcare to vulnerable Medicaid recipients," Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said during the hearing.
The hearing highlighted competing narratives about accountability, race and public corruption. Committee members and witnesses disagreed on priorities and on how best to investigate alleged abuse of state and federal assistance programs. Fox News Digital reached out to Rep. Randall’s office for comment. Fox News' Leo Briceno contributed to this report.
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