James Carville and Al Hunt agreed Gov. Tim Walz made the right decision to end his re-election campaign amid a large welfare-fraud probe in Minnesota. Investigators say daycares and nonprofits may have exploited state policies to claim what some estimate could be about $9 billion. Both hosts said the scandal deserves serious attention and warned against downplaying it or framing it solely as an attack on the Somali community. Carville added that the final scope of the fraud may be smaller than initial reports suggest.
Carville and Al Hunt: Walz Made Right Call To End Campaign Amid Huge Minnesota Welfare-Fraud Probe
Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota announced on Monday that he's dropping his bid for a third term as governor amid stinging criticism of the unsuccessful 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee's handling of his state's massive welfare assistance fraud scandal.
Hosts James Carville and Al Hunt told listeners on Politics War Room that Gov. Tim Walz made the correct decision to end his bid for a third term as an expanding welfare-fraud investigation in Minnesota intensified public scrutiny of his administration.
Walz announced Monday that he was dropping his re-election campaign after mounting criticism of his handling of allegations that a range of operators — from daycare centers to nonprofits — exploited state policies to claim what some investigators estimate could be roughly $9 billion in taxpayer funds.
What The Hosts Said
During the program, callers asked whether Democrats might dismiss the scandal as "another woke debacle" or label it a bad-faith attack on Minnesota's Somali community rather than treat it as a legitimate law-enforcement issue. Hunt pushed back on that possibility and said the matter must be taken seriously.
“John, if they did that, you’d be absolutely right. I think they’re not going to do that,”
Hunt noted coverage he had read in The Bulwark and emphasized that while suspects in the investigations are not all Somali, members of that community have been implicated in some cases. He urged both parties to acknowledge the scope of the problem and support ongoing prosecutions.
James Carville suggested that while some of the fraud may end up being embellished, this does appear to be a legitimate scandal for the state.
“It really is a bad scandal. It can’t be swept under the rug. And I think it’s really important now that Democrats, as well as Republicans, acknowledge that and go after it,”
Carville agreed, mocking the notion that reporting on the scandal had been suppressed and stressing that condemning fraud should not be controversial.
“It’s been all over the media... The greatest boogieman is to say, ‘They won’t allow you to say this, but fraud is bad!’ I will just go out and say this,”
He continued with ironic asides — noting that calling out fraud is obvious — then took a more measured tone about Walz’s decision. While agreeing the governor made the right call to withdraw, Carville suggested the ultimate scale of the abuse could be smaller than early figures imply.
“But I think that the governor did make the right decision... Yes, there’s something here. At the end of the day, I would bet anybody — without knowing anything other than history — that it will not be the magnitude of what we’re told,”
Hunt also observed that local Minnesota reporters had been investigating aspects of the scandal for years, and federal prosecutors have been working the case. Outside the radio exchange, conservative commentators have used the allegations to criticize Walz’s leadership as investigations continue.
Context: The allegations remain under investigation by federal authorities and local reporters. Estimates of potential losses vary and are subject to verification as prosecutions and audits proceed.
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