A lawmaker in Minnesota has filed articles of impeachment against embattled Democrat Gov. Tim Walz.
Walz has become a national focus in the wake of reports concerning a massive fraud scandal in his state, largely concerning Somali residents. A stunning press conference held by federal prosecutor Joseph Thompson last month confirmed that $9 billion – or potentially more – of taxpayer money could have been stolen during Walz’s tenure.
GOP state Rep. Mike Wiener announced on his Facebook page on Monday that he’s filed articles of impeachment against Walz “I have officially filed Articles of Impeachment against Governor Tim Walz, initiating the impeachment process in the Minnesota House of Representatives,” he posted.
The articles accuse Walz of committing corrupt conduct and violating his oath of office.
The four articles specifically allege that Walz knowingly concealed widespread fraud in the state’s Department of Human Services, despite repeated warnings; interfered with lawful oversight and investigation into the fraud; prioritized political considerations above lawful administration; and failed to execute laws of the state, specifically laws concerning stewardship of public funds.
“Democrat control of our state has led to 9 billion dollars of fraud that we currently know about,” Wiener told Newsweek. “Governor Walz said ‘the buck stops with him.’ Since he refused to resign the next step is impeachment. Our taxpayers are demanding this, and if the Democrats don’t support the impeachment they are complicit with the fraud.”
The impeachment effort would need to pass the Minnesota House and Senate, where control is split. As noted by Newsweek, both parties have 67 seats each, and Wiener said he would need one Democrat in a committee to vote with him for it to go to the House.
As outlined by Thompson, 14 taxpayer-funded programs in particular were found to be rife with fraud since 2018. Those programs cost $18 billion, and Thompson said it’s possible that half of that, or more, could have been fraudulently claimed.
“I think we’re an outlier in a bad way,” Thompson said of Minnesota. “You don’t see fraud on this scale in other states. … Every day we look under a rock and find a new $50 million fraud scheme. That shouldn’t be the case in a state of our size. Certainly other states have problems with frauds, but I think our problem is unique.”
Walz, who’s unsurprisingly in the hot seat over the scandal, has contended that Thompson is engaging in “sensationalism” and says there’s “no evidence” the scope is $9 billion or more.
Earlier this month, Walz announced that he won’t seek re-election as governor this year. In a lengthy statement, the Democrat claimed Minnesota has been unfairly targeted by the Trump administration and cited the ongoing fraud scandals that the Justice Department is investigating and prosecuting, The Daily Wire reported.
“Like many Minnesotans, I was glad to turn the page on 2025. It was an extraordinarily difficult year for our state. And it ended on a particularly sour note,” Walz said.
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