{"id":2574683,"date":"2026-02-28T09:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T14:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watchdog-sues-deep-blue-city-mayor-for-records-related-to-fraud\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T09:17:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T14:17:07","slug":"watchdog-sues-deep-blue-city-mayor-for-records-related-to-fraud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watchdog-sues-deep-blue-city-mayor-for-records-related-to-fraud\/","title":{"rendered":"Watchdog Sues Deep Blue City Mayor for Records Related to Fraud"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwatchdog-sues-deep-blue-city-mayor-for-records-related-to-fraud%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2574683&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece reports on investigations into fraud and waste in blue-state governments, beginning with journalist Nick Shirley\u2019s trip to Minneapolis to examine Somali daycare centers alleged to siphon tax dollars and suggesting the problem may be nationwide. Shirley extends his inquiry to other Democratic-leaning cities and states. The Daily Caller News Foundation highlights Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott facing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/immigrant-business-owner-who-fled-communism-jailed-for-staying-open-supporters-back-her-with-gofundme\/\" title=\"Immigrant Business Owner Who Fled Communism Jailed For Staying Open, Supporters Back Her With GoFundMe\">legal trouble<\/a> for allegedly withholding public records related to fraud and financial waste, with Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Cumming claiming the mayor is obstructing investigations. The article notes a lawsuit over access to payroll information for the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and Maryland lawmakers\u2019 consideration of a bill to limit the state\u2019s protection of inspector-general requests. It also references Minnesota prosecutors\u2019 claim that Medicaid fraud could total up to $9 billion and uses these cases to criticize Democratic leadership, arguing that taxpayers are funding such misconduct.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>When journalist Nick Shirley arrived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to investigate shady Somali daycares stealing tax dollars, it&rsquo;s unlikely he or his associates knew how widespread &mdash; nationwide even &mdash; fraud had become.<\/p>\n<p>Shirley would take his investigation to other Democratic cities and states.<\/p>\n<p>But maybe he thought the fraud would not be as pervasive elsewhere. Surely, this can&rsquo;t be the norm in blue cities and states?<\/p>\n<p>The latest from the <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2026\/02\/26\/blue-city-office-sues-its-own-mayor-for-records-on-fraud-waste\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=offthepress&amp;utm_campaign=home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Caller News Foundation<\/a> stands to challenge that narrative as it reported on Thursday that Baltimore Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott has found himself in legal trouble for an alleged withholding of public records that could show abuse of public funds.<\/p>\n<p>Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Cumming&rsquo;s office stated Tuesday in court that Scott is blocking the &ldquo;ability to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >adequately investigate complaints<\/a> of fraud, financial waste, and abuse in City government.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit against the mayor claimed he denied Cumming access to records for the payroll information on the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, an office created in 2020 to address gun violence.<\/p>\n<p>The state-level Office of Personnel Services and Benefits had found in December that Maryland was costing taxpayers millions through excess overtime for government employees and other activities, and Cumming wanted to see if the city is wasting money as well.<\/p>\n<p>Scott&rsquo;s office said in response, &ldquo;As we have noted from the beginning, the Mayor remains committed to transparency and to an [inspector general&rsquo;s office] that is both effective and complies with the law.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Separate from the litigation, we remain eager for the Law Department to work with the [Cumming] to outline renewed protocols that ensure the Inspector General&rsquo;s work proceeds uninterrupted, while complying with state law.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Scott previously worked with Cumming in 2025 but released heavily redacted documents relating to the current investigation, invoking state law when doing so.<\/p>\n<p>That brings us to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-attempted-character-assassination-of-johnny-depp\/\" title=\"The Attempted Character Assassination Of Johnny Depp\">current legal battle<\/a>. Maryland lawmakers filed a bill on Tuesday that would ensure Cumming&rsquo;s requests are not subject to the state&rsquo;s law.<\/p>\n<p>But if the bill passes, the citizens of Baltimore and Maryland more broadly may never know about the extent of fraud they are funding through their taxes.<\/p>\n<p>In December, prosecutors alleged the fraud in Minnesota could total $9 billion, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/news\/billions-paid-out-by-medicaid-in-minnesota-may-be-fraudulent-us-attorney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CBS News<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>There just seems to be something about blue states and stealing tax dollars.<\/p>\n<p>Hopefully this wave of shady activity will capture the public&rsquo;s attention through the year until November.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats are already known as the party of open borders and backwards race and gender ideology.<\/p>\n<p>It would do voters well to know they&rsquo;re also the party that brazenly steals their money.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A journalist named Nick Shirley went to Minneapolis to look into claims that Somali-operated daycares were misusing tax dollars. He probably didn\u2019t realize how widespread the fraud was, perhaps even nationwide, and he planned to bring his investigation to other Democratic-leaning cities and states, wondering if the problem would be as common elsewhere. A Daily Caller News Foundation piece argues that Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is facing legal trouble for allegedly withholding public records that could reveal improper use of public funds. The Baltimore Inspector General\u2019s office told a court that Scott is blocking efforts to properly investigate fraud, financial waste, and abuse in city government.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the case involves claims that Scott denied the inspector general access to payroll records for the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, a city office created in 2020 to address gun violence. Maryland\u2019s state Office of Personnel Services and Benefits had previously found that the state was wasting taxpayers\u2019 money through excessive overtime and other practices, prompting Cumming to examine whether Baltimore was similarly squandering funds. Scott\u2019s office responded by saying the mayor is committed to transparency and to an inspector general\u2019s office that operates effectively within the law, and they urged the Law Department to work with the inspector general to establish protocols that allow the IG\u2019s work to proceed without disruption while complying with state law. Scott had previously worked with Cumming in 2025 but provided heavily redacted documents, citing state law. A current bill proposed by Maryland lawmakers would shield the inspector general\u2019s requests from the state\u2019s law, a move that could prevent Baltimore and Maryland residents from fully seeing the extent of fraud funded by their taxes.<\/p>\n<p>The piece cites December claims by prosecutors that fraud in Minnesota could total up to $9 billion and attributes a pattern of similar misconduct to blue states. It concludes with a polemical note suggesting that Democrats, already criticized for other policies, are also responsible for theft of taxpayers\u2019 money, and it hopes public attention to these allegations will persist through the year leading up to November<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2574684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-27T164455.309.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4585,3918,6056],"class_list":["post-2574683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-lawsuit","tag-records","tag-watchdog"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-27T164455.309.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2574683"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2574687,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574683\/revisions\/2574687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2574684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2574683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2574683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2574683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}