{"id":2598555,"date":"2026-05-04T13:42:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T17:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/klobuchar-rolls-out-minnesota-fraud-plan-in-gubernatorial-race\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T13:45:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T17:45:31","slug":"klobuchar-rolls-out-minnesota-fraud-plan-in-gubernatorial-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/klobuchar-rolls-out-minnesota-fraud-plan-in-gubernatorial-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Klobuchar rolls out Minnesota fraud plan in gubernatorial race\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/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%2Fklobuchar-rolls-out-minnesota-fraud-plan-in-gubernatorial-race%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=2598555&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>Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) says that if she wins the Minnesota governor\u2019s race, she will target fraud in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-allows-trump-administration-to-withhold-minnesotas-medicaid-funds\/\" title=\"Judge allows Trump administration to withhold ...\u2019s Medicaid funds\">state-administered social services<\/a>. She argued her approach woudl differ from Gov. tim Walz, after Walz faced criticism and his reelection bid ended amid allegations that he overlooked widespread fraud in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-gavin-newsom-shipped-homeless-people-out-of-san-francisco-with-one-way-tickets\/\" title=\"Flashback: Gavin Newsom Shipped Homeless People Out of San Francisco With ...One-Way Tickets\u201d\">taxpayer-funded programs<\/a> that are now under federal inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>Klobuchar-now the presumed Democratic gubernatorial nominee-outlined a plan aimed at strengthening penalties, creating a \u201cdo not pay\u201d database for convicted fraud offenders, and auditing government agencies. She cited allegations by federal prosecutors that Medicaid fraud alone may cost Minnesota taxpayers about $9 billion.<\/p>\n<p>Klobuchar\u2019s comments come as Minnesota remains the focus of investigations by agencies including the Justice Department and the FBI, highlighted by the Feeding Our Future COVID-era fraud case. former U.S. attorney Joe Thompson previously said that a significant portion of billed services for Medicaid programs as 2018 could have been stolen. klobuchar also emphasized using surprise audits and scrutinizing areas with \u201cballooning budgets,\u201d saying she would \u201cdo things differently\u201d than Walz.  <\/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<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/amy-klobuchar\/\">Amy Klobuchar<\/a> (D-MN) on Sunday heralded her plan to target fraud in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/minnesota\/\">Minnesota<\/a> if her campaign to become the state\u2019s next governor is successful.<\/p>\n<p>Klobuchar sought to distance herself from Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tim-walz\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11523\">Tim Walz <\/a>(D-MN), who dropped his reelection bid amid accusations he largely turned a blind eye to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/minnesota-fraud\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"20051\">rampant fraud<\/a> in taxpayer-funded social services programs, which is now under government investigation. Before he dropped out of the race in January, half of Minnesota voters said fraud concerns would play a major factor in their vote for governor, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanexperiment.org\/magazine\/article\/the-fraud-problem\/\">according to <\/a>polling from American Experiment. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4551819\/arizona-governor-candidates-lieutenant-governor\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Arizona governor candidates pick running mates for first time with state\u2019s new lieutenant governor office<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4552043\/inside-battle-virginia-abortion-ballot-referendum\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Inside the coming battle over Virginia\u2019s abortion ballot referendum<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4551475\/xavier-becerra-rise-california-governors-race-red-boxing-accusations\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Becerra\u2019s rise in California governor\u2019s race sparks \u2018red boxing\u2019 accusations<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Klobuchar, now the presumed Democratic <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4438581\/amy-klobuchar-announces-run-minnesota-governor-federal-operation\/\">gubernatorial nominee<\/a>, said \u201cI don\u2019t like the status quo\u201d as she highlighted a plan to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-want-to-stop-retail-theft-crisis-to-boost-crime-claims-ahead-of-election\/\" title=\"Democrats aim to address the retail theft crisis to bolster their stance on crime in the upcoming election\">strengthen criminal penalties<\/a>, create a \u201cdo not pay\u201d database for people convicted of fraud, and audit government agencies. The plan responds, in part, to allegations by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/minnesotareformer.com\/2025\/12\/18\/u-s-attorney-fraud-likely-exceeds-9-billion-in-minnesota-run-medicaid-services\/#:~:text=U.S.%20Attorney:%20Fraud%20likely%20exceeds,Medicaid%20services%20%E2%80%A2%20Minnesota%20Reformer\">federal prosecutors<\/a> that Medicaid fraud alone likely costs taxpayers $9 billion in Minnesota. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4479775\/four-takeaways-first-primary-election-2026\/\"><strong>FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM THE FIRST PRIMARY ELECTION OF 2026<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou are right to be angry about the fraud,\u201d Klobuchar said during the St. Paul event. \u201cIt is unacceptable, and it must end.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be running for governor if I wanted to have things remain the same. I want to see change,\u201d she added. \u201cMy plan is to transform our state government into a government that is innovative, effective, and accountable.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Minnesota <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4545760\/fbi-raid-minneapolis-facilities-fraud-probe\/\">remains under investigation<\/a> by several federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the FBI, due to corruption concerns. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >investigation initially attracted national scrutiny<\/a> last year when federal prosecutors targeted what they described as a $250 million pandemic fraud case involving the nonprofit organization Feeding Our Future. Dozens have been charged, in what prosecutors said was the country\u2019s largest COVID-19-related fraud scam that exploited a state-run, federally funded program intended to provide food for children.  <\/p>\n<p>The Feeding Our Futures case was the \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/abc3340.com\/news\/nation-world\/tip-of-a-very-large-iceberg-feds-surge-response-to-minnesota-fraud-investigations-tim-walz-nick-shirley-somali-fbi-kash-patel\">tip of a very large iceberg<\/a>\u201d indicative of a wider scandal, according to authorities. When he visited the state in March, Treasury Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/scott-bessent\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11700\">Scott Bessent<\/a> called it \u201cground zero for what may be one of the most egregious welfare scams in our nation\u2019s history to date.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Joe Thompson, the former first assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota, said in December 2025 that half or more of the $18 billion billed as services for 14 Minnesota Medicaid programs since 2018 could have been stolen by fraudsters.\u00a0His words come as roughly 64% of Minnesota\u2019s Medicaid dollars come from federal funds. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we see in Minnesota is not a handful of bad actors committing crimes,\u201d Thompson said at a press conference in Minneapolis. \u201cIt\u2019s a staggering, industrial-scale fraud. It\u2019s swamping Minnesota and calling into question everything we know about our state.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-flourish wp-block-embed-flourish\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Interactive or visual content\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/27796910\/embed#?secret=cyd7ehLnhj\" data-secret=\"cyd7ehLnhj\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"575\" width=\"696\"><\/iframe> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>On Sunday, Klobuchar vowed to course-correct and approach fraud differently than the incumbent administration. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4551073\/dr-oz-freezes-federal-medicaid-funding-minnesota\/\">DR. OZ FREEZES AN ADDITIONAL $91 MILLION IN FEDERAL MEDICAID FUNDING FOR MINNESOTA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI obviously am going to do things differently than Gov. Walz,\u201d the Democratic senator said.\u00a0\u201cWe have different backgrounds. We\u2019re going to have some different focuses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I was there and had access to the information, I would have looked at, where are the programs where we are starting to see ballooning budgets, which is something that should be done all the time,\u201d she added. \u201cWhen can we do these surprise audits and check on things immediately? Those are changes I would make.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Amy Klobuchar touts a plan to target Minnesota fraud if elected governor, distancing from Gov. Tim Walz amid allegations he ignored it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2598556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26076745431074.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6571,43425,36586,5698,5894],"class_list":["post-2598555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-elections","tag-fraud-prevention","tag-government-policy","tag-minnesota","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26076745431074.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598555","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\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598555"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2598559,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598555\/revisions\/2598559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}