Becket Adams takes up the the press coverage of Minnesota’s Somali crime wave in his New York Post column “Media leaps to defend Minnesota’s Somali fraudsters — but trips over the awful truth.” Adams leads with the the Star Tribune story we have been ridiculing over the past few days. Unfortunately, he appears not to be aware of the story’s farcical errors. He nevertheless gets the gist and leads with the example of the Star Tribune:
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Multiple news outlets are circling the wagons for Minnesota’s embattled and fraud-prone Somali diaspora, which is kind of sweet but also hilariously inept.
The effort covers all the bases: downplaying the scandal, deploying the classic “Republicans pounce” trope and even claiming Minnesota’s Somali community is crucial to the local economy.
The funny thing is, the public relations campaign is actually doing more harm than good.
Somali residents face growing criticism as federal investigators accuse members of stealing at least $1 billion from Minnesota’s generous welfare programs.
That’s just what prosecutors have uncovered so far.
Since 2022, 87 people, most of them Somali, have been charged in fraud schemes, leading to 61 convictions. [Ed.: Eighty-eight defendants have been charged in the Feeding Our Future case. Seven have been convicted at trial, 50 have pleaded guilty.]
It’s all quite shameful, and recent reporting by City Journal and others has caught President Donald Trump’s attention.
His view of Somalia now mirrors his opinion of Haiti.
This brings us to the latest chapter in the story, in which newsrooms that played no role in bringing the Minnesota fraud to national attention launch a PR blitz in the Somalis’ defense.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune, for example, claimed the fraud price tag touted by federal prosecutors is totally inaccurate: Members of the Somali diaspora likely stole only $152 million, the paper huffed — before acknowledging the total amount “is expected to grow as ongoing state and federal investigations into the state programs continue.”
Gee, with local coverage this lax, it’s no wonder the fraud is on track to be the worst in the state’s history.
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This is me speaking: For “lax,” please read “erroneous.” Whole thing here.
