CNN: Walz Tends to Be ‘Hands-Off’ on Accountability for Fraud, Agencies Argue with Auditor

On Friday, CNN said that 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) “has been a hands-off leader when it comes to seeking accountability for episodes of fraud and mismanagement on his watch”, his office acknowledges state agencies have argued against findings from the state auditor, and the state’s auditor has accused state agencies under his administration of downplaying or dismissing fraud allegations.

On Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” CNN Senior Investigative Correspondent Kyung Lah said, “At least 16 reports critical of specific state agencies for allowing alleged fraud, waste, or mismanagement during Walz’s six years as Governor have been published by Minnesota’s independent auditor.”

She also pointed to the U.S. Department of Justice characterized the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme as “the Largest COVID-19 Fraud Scheme in the Nation” and pointed to a report from the state auditor about failings by the Minnesota Department of Education that said the agency “created opportunities for fraud. … Failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and prior to the start of the alleged fraud. [And] [d]id not effectively exercise its authority to hold Feeding Our Future accountable to program requirements.”

At the end of the report, Lah stated, “A spokesperson for Gov. Walz tells CNN that state agencies have implemented suggestions from the state auditor and sometimes they disagree with the auditor’s findings, adding, ‘We are constantly evaluating ways to eliminate fraud and improve government programs[.]’ That spokesperson also added that the Walz administration has beefed up oversight of the Department of Education and spent millions to add staff to help root out bad actors.”

An accompanying article on CNN’s site, headlined, “As fraud scandals erupt in Minnesota on Gov. Tim Walz’s watch, accountability is in short supply”, stated that “when confronted with these and other troubling examples of waste, fraud[,] and abuse, some state agencies working under the administration of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz repeatedly minimized or dismissed the allegations, the state’s nonpartisan auditor, Judy Randall, told CNN. A CNN review of audits — and the responses they prompted — as well as interviews with statewide politicians and pundits, found that Walz has been a hands-off leader when it comes to seeking accountability for episodes of fraud and mismanagement on his watch. What’s more, some state agencies headed by his appointees have responded defensively in recent months to the audits — a dynamic that Randall, who has worked in the department for 26 years, has found surprising.”

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