What fraud? From a Tim Walz press release,
Governor Tim Walz today announced that Tim O’Malley will join the state as Director of Program Integrity. A judge, former superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), former FBI agent, and reformer in the archdiocese, O’Malley will work across state government to strengthen fraud prevention and protect taxpayer dollars.
Writing as a former energy czar for the State of Minnesota, I do love a good czar appointment. Today’s announcement by Walz includes a partnership with a third-party private vendor,
WayPoint, Inc. is a Minnesota-based professional service firm of former law enforcement and federal special agents, specializing in forensic accounting, financial investigations, due diligence, business risk mitigation, health care compliance and investigations, and tax litigation support.
Was Triple Canopy not available?
Today’s announcement appears to be at least the third attempt by Walz to get ahead of the multi-billion-dollar, multiple-fraud scandal. He had previously issued anti-fraud executive orders in January and September, to little effect.
Nor is it clear how the duties assigned to the anti-fraud czar differ substantively from those that would have gone to the proposed statewide Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG proposal was shot down by a single vote by Democrats in the state legislature last session.
To make today’s announcement, Walz held a one-hour press event, which can be seen here. The Star Tribune headline,
Walz, moving to get ahead of fraud issue, taps new point man for state’s response
As for that press conference, Walz begins (00:32) with a 3-minute-long harangue on ICE and Donald Trump. There is no mention by Walz of fraud or of the occasion of the day’s event until the 4-minute mark. O’Malley’s introduction begins at 4:45. After many discursions, O’Malley speaks at 10:15. He speaks for less than a minute.
Other functionaries then take the podium, leaving no lasting impression. During the minute formal presentation, the word “Somali” was never uttered.
The Q&A portion of the program begins at 26:24. Media questions included “why not sooner?” and the like.
As per usual, the answers provided by Walz aren’t worth recording. He operates in a reality no one else is familiar with.
He implies (29:30 and again at 57:05)), without providing any evidence, that he fired the former commissioners of Education and Human Services for failng to stop the frauds. At 33:01, Walz repeats several lies regarding the 2021 Feeding Our Future litigation.
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
[Note: an earlier version of this post appeared at AmericanExperiment.Org.]
