Assassin Vance Boelter was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive life sentences without parole for murdering former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, Mark, and wounding state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette, in what prosecutors called a politically motivated attack. 
Boelter was convicted on six federal charges stemming from the murders of the Hortmans and the shooting of the Hoffmans, as well as the attempted shooting of the couple&#8217;s daughter, Hope, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/vance-boelter-indicted-murders-melissa-and-mark-hortman-%20shootings-john-and-yvette-0">according</a> to the Department of Justice. 
At Thursday&#8217;s sentencing hearing, Colin and Sophie Hortman, the children of Melissa and Mark Hortman, described how their lives had been shattered by the murders.  
“In one night, our family went from whole to shattered,” Colin <a href="https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/vance-boelter-to-be-sentenced-for-lawmaker-attacks-is-expected-to-receive-over-2-life-sentences/">said</a>, describing his parents as “the best” a child could ask for.
“My mom will never bake me another cake … She was supposed to bake my wedding cake. That was the one wish that I had,” Colin said. “They would have been the best grandparents. They will never meet my children. They would have traveled more, they would have mentored more leaders.”
Sophie Hortman also spoke about the trauma of losing her parents.
 “What I cared about was that my entire life had just been shattered in 30 seconds … We had to stand up and keep going,” she said.
Boelter <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/vance-boelter-sentencing-man-killed-minnesota-democratic-lawmaker-face-rcna588852">apologized</a> in court to the Hortman family and his other victims. 
“To every person I have caused loss, pain, heartache, confusion, sadness, shame, or loneliness, I am truly sorry,” he said.
According to court documents, Boelter researched the homes and routines of top Democratic lawmakers before embarking on what prosecutors described as a &#8220;murderous rampage” while disguised as a police officer conducting wellness checks.
In addition to targeting the Hortmans and the Hoffmans, Boelter also went to the homes of Rep. Kristin Bahner and Sen. Ann Rest, both Democrats, but neither answered the door.
A two-day manhunt ended with Boelter&#8217;s arrest near his family home in Green Isle, Minnesota.
Officers found a list of 45 Democratic state officials and their addresses in his car, along with “No Kings” protest signs in the back of his car. Authorities have said Boelter was not a supporter of the demonstrators and had told family members before the shootings to “pray that something takes the wind out of these protests’ sails.” 
Prosecutors argued Boelter carried out the attacks in an effort to tip  Minnesota’s “delicate” balance of power in Republicans’ favor, KTSP news <a href="https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/an-attack-on-representative-democracy-itself-filing-details-boelters-motives-for-night-of-terror/">reported</a>. They noted that the state House was evenly split 67-67 while Democrats held a one-seat Senate majority. Had Boelter succeeded in killing all four Democratic lawmakers he targeted, prosecutors argued, “the inevitable result would be a shift in the balance of power in both legislative houses.”  

In addition to his federal conviction, Boelter still faces multiple state charges, including two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, impersonating a police officer, and animal cruelty for allegedly killing the Hortmans&#8217; golden retriever, Gilbert.  

Boelter also previously served on Minnesota&#8217;s Workforce Development Board after being appointed by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Walz has said he did not know Boelter personally, with his office noting that the board has more than 60 members and that governors do not personally interview applicants for such positions. 
&nbsp;

Two Minnesota State Legislators And Spouses Shot In Targeted Attacks

Assassin Sentenced In Minnesota Political Killings

Courts

Democrat

Democrats

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No Kings

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The threats to President Donald Trump and his administration are growing rapidly.
The Secret Service has investigated approximately 10,000 threats against its protectees, including President Trump, in the first half of this year, the head of the agency revealed Wednesday, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/23/us-news/threats-to-us-officials-reach-unprecedented-numbers-ahead-of-rescheduled-white-house-correspondents-dinner-secret-service-boss-says/">according</a> to The New York Post.
“The numbers are numbers that this agency and certainly I have never seen in my 24-year career,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran told reporters, painting a chilling picture of an increasingly hostile political environment. In the first half of 2025, the agency opened roughly 7,000 cases.
The alarming surge comes ahead of Friday night’s rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., which was forced to move after suspect Cole Allen stormed an April checkpoint packed with guns and knives, allegedly hellbent on killing Trump and other administration officials.
Curran defended the security apparatus, insisting “the system worked” when agents stopped Allen before he could make it in the ballroom. Yet, the relentless barrage of target-painting on the president’s back raises urgent questions about the toxic political atmosphere.
The Secret Service’s massive threat log arrives after years of terrifying, real-world attempts on Trump’s life. From a 2016 gun-grab attempt in Las Vegas and a 2017 forklift ramming attack in North Dakota, to the horrific July 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania, rally shooting, and Ryan Routh’s Florida golf course ambush, the dangers have hit unprecedented highs. Add in thwarted international assassination schemes from Iran and ISIS, and the target on Trump remains massive.
In the meantime, Left-wing rhetoric is pouring gasoline on the fire.
Democrat leaders have repeatedly branded Trump an &#8220;existential threat,&#8221; a &#8220;fascist,&#8221; and an &#8220;authoritarian.&#8221; Former President Joe Biden once boasted he’d take Trump &#8220;behind the gym and beat the hell out of him,&#8221; and infamously <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/biden-says-it-was-mistake-to-say-he-wanted-to-put-bulls-eye-on-trump-during-donor-phone-call">declared</a> &#8220;it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye&#8221; in a phone call with donors right before the Butler shooting. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) publicly egged on mobs to harass administration officials, telling crowds, &#8220;You push back on them &#8230; tell them they&#8217;re not welcome.&#8221;
The hostile drumbeat from top Democrats has only grown louder:
<ul>
<li>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/792200-maximum-warfare-hakeem-jeffries-promises-dems-will-target-8-gop-incumbents-in-florida-if-redistricting-happens/#:~:text=House%20Minority%20Leader%20Hakeem%20Jeffries%20is%20threatening,statement%20shared%20by%20Punchbowl%20News'%20Jake%20Sherman.">called</a> for “maximum warfare” just days before the April WHCD attack.</li>
<li>Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href="https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/view_newsletter.aspx?id=172352&amp;c=FL13VB#:~:text=Schumer%20claimed%20in%20his%20interview%20with%20MSNBC's,do.%20That's%20what%20tyranny%20is%20all%20about.%22">urged</a> supporters to &#8220;be forcefully rising up against&#8221; the president.</li>
<li>California Governor Gavin Newsom bluntly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/24/no-holds-barred-fight-californias-governor-takes-off-his-gloves-to-punch-back-at-trump#:~:text=But%20then%20Trump%20came%20for%20California%2C%20and,Newsom%20said%20on%20a%20podcast%20last%20week.">told his base</a> to “punch these sons of b*tches in the mouth.”</li>
<li>Illinois Governor JB Pritzker <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/28/jb-pritzker-speech#:~:text=Joseph%20Gedeon%20in%20Washington.%20Mon%2028%20Apr,filled%20with%20Democratic%20activists%2C%20officials%20and%20donors.">proclaimed</a> that “Republicans cannot know a moment of peace.”</li>
<li>Minnesota Governor Tim Walz went so far as to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/tim-walz-trump-administration-ice-enforcement-republicans/">declare</a> his state is “at war with our federal government.”</li>
</ul>
Most threats originate online, but as the 10,000-case milestone proves, the leap from online hate to real-world violence is closer than ever.

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA – July 13: Former president Donald Trump r

10,000 Secret Service Threats Prove Left’s Violent Rhetoric Has Consequences

Death Threats

Donald Trump

Gavin Newsom

Hakeem Jeffries

J.B. Pritzker

Joe Biden

Josh Shapiro

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Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) doubled down on his defense of the child rapist he pardoned in a failed effort to shield him from deportation.
Walz on Tuesday questioned the Trump administration’s decision to deport Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national who was convicted for repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl beginning when she was just 10 years old. He suggested that the deportation did not advance the idea that people should not be “judged by our worst day.”
“They made that choice,” Walz <a href="https://www.startribune.com/walz-pardon-hmong-man-deported-rubio-sexual-assault-conviction-laos/601867932">said</a> of the deportation. “I guess the question I would ask is, ‘Did that make us any safer? Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable?’”
“Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day?” he <a href="https://www.kttc.com/2026/07/15/walz-responds-pardon-pushback-washington/">added</a>.
Beginning in 2002, Vang, then 18-years-old, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/read-the-insane-argument-officials-made-against-deporting-child-rapist-pardoned-by-tim-walz?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Read+The+Insane+Argument+Officials+Made+Against+Deporting+Child+Rapist+Pardoned+By+Tim+Walz">repeatedly</a> had sexual intercourse with a young girl over a two year period starting when he was 18 and she was 10. He also offered to pay her to not report his actions, according to investigators.
When arrested, he claimed it was part of his culture and said the victim should be charged as well. “I made a mistake, but this is a minor thing. It is a cultural thing in Thailand to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12,” he reportedly told police.
For the crime, Vang spent just eight months at the Ramsey County, Minnesota, Correctional Workhouse and was given 30 years of supervised probation. The family of the victim pressured her to refuse to cooperate with law enforcement, according to prosecutors.
Walz suggested that it was unfair to deport Vang, who now has a large family.
“In many cases, their children are citizens,” the failed vice presidential candidate said. “And by just picking them up and taking them out with no due process, it just seems unfair. If you think this person should have been gone, why didn’t you take them for the last 30 years?”
Last month, Walz, Democrat Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson ultimately accepted the recommendation of the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission  and pardoned Vang.
The commission cited immigration concerns in its 4-2 vote to recommend a pardon for Vang and argued that deporting him would “not in the best interest of society.”
Vang first came to the United States in 1994 and was given legal status by the Clinton administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security. An immigration judge issued Vang a final deportation order on October 31, 2006, following his conviction.
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Vang had been deported.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, State of the State speech, April 28, 2026

Walz Doubles Down On Defense Of Deported Child Rapist

Illegal Immigation

Sex Crimes

Heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires is predicted to spread across the United States from Wednesday to Friday, causing potential air pollution that could impact 100 million people. 
The hazy smoke from wildfires — still blazing in western Ontario and northern Minnesota on Tuesday — is forecast to drift toward the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/07/15/wildfire-smoke-canada-will-soon-spread-across-midwest-northeast/">according</a> to The Washington Post. The conditions are set to decline through the end of this week as smoke mixed with little wind and high heat in the East creates a heat dome.
The air quality conditions in eastern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and most of Michigan are expected to worsen on Wednesday, according to The Post.
“It is recommended that, when possible, you avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially those with heart disease and respiratory conditions like asthma,” said an air quality alert from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. “Keep windows closed overnight to prevent smoke from getting indoors and, if possible, run central air conditioning with MERV-13 or higher rated filters.”
On Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration smoke modeling showed deterioration in air quality conditions in several cities:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Buffalo, Binghamton, Poughkeepsie, and New York City, New York</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Hartford, Danbury, and New Haven, Connecticut</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Providence, Rhode Island</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Scranton, Pennsylvania</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Newark, New Jersey</li>
</ul>
By Wednesday night, the smoke is predicted to travel south and east towards Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. — and then to Boston by Thursday morning. Wind currents are set to blow the smoke, in fluctuating intensities, around the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic through Friday. On Saturday, a shift in winds may potentially blow the smoke away, reported The Post.
As of now, eastern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, Michigan, and western New York are closer to the fires and are most at risk for high smoke concentrations and air quality alerts, according to The Post.
The smoke is mainly from a dozen large wildfires raging across western Ontario. Late on Tuesday, the biggest fire located in Wabakimi Provincial Park expanded to over 130,000 acres, stretching to the north coast of Lake Superior about 135 miles, The Post reported. 
Multiple Minnesota wildfires, which were discovered on July 7 after a major lightning storm, are also contributing to the hazy skies. The two largest fires were named the Thumb Fire and the Bear Trap Fire, which are blazing across 14,500 and 13,500 acres of land, and have spurred evacuations and wilderness closures. 
Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) <a href="https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/#/detail/appId/1/id/759754">released</a> a statement on July 12, declaring a peacetime emergency and mobilizing the National Guard to aid with the wildfire response, which is “putting local communities at risk.”
“This emergency declaration allows for the mobilization of additional resources necessary to protect lives, prevent damage, and help the Minnesota [Department of Natural Resources] and our local communities respond,” Walz said.
On Wednesday and Thursday, dry weather is anticipated in scorched areas, but weather predictions for Friday show a possibility of scattered rain and thunderstorms. 
These conditions are being compared to those during Quebec’s wildfires in June of 2023, when smoke settled along the east coast and New York’s sky took on an orange tint. Their air quality peaked at a value of 465, which is the most hazardous level on record, reported The Post.
“At this time, current forecasts do not indicate a repeat of 2023 conditions,” the New York City Emergency Management wrote in a <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/em/about/press-releases/20260715_pr-NYCEM-Smoke-From-Canadian-Wildfires-May-Affect-NYC-Air-Quality.page">statement</a> on Tuesday. The NYCEM added that the smoke and high heat on Wednesday would produce “environmental health challenges.” 
“To protect the health of New Yorkers, especially those at greatest risk, free KN95 masks are available at public library branches across the five boroughs,” said the statement.

100 Million Americans Could Soon Face Smoky Skies Thanks To Canada

Wildfires

Minnesota officials recommended a pardon for a child rapist in a failed attempt to shield him from deportation, according to state documents. 
The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission voted 4-2 to recommend a pardon for 42-year-old Laotian national Tou Lue Vang, who was convicted for repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl beginning when she was just 10 years old. Despite its recommendation and a pardon from Governor Tim Walz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/marco-rubio-just-dropped-the-hammer-after-tim-walzs-pardon-of-an-illegal-immigrant-child-sex-offender?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Team+Drops+The+Hammer+After+Tim+Walz%E2%80%99s+Illegal+Alien+Pardon">announced</a> Friday that Vang had been deported. 
Members of the commission claimed Vang had been rehabilitated and pointed to the possibility he would be deported when pushing for a pardon, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/exposed-docs-reveal-why-tim-walz-board-awarded-repeat-child-rapist-pardon-no-future">according</a> to documents reviewed by Fox News. Beginning in 2002, Vang repeatedly had sexual intercourse with a young girl over a two year period starting when he was 18 and she was 10. 
&#8220;Despite the extraordinary severity of the underlying offense, there is substantial evidence of rehabilitation, remorse and acceptance of responsibility,” claimed clemency commissioner and University of Minnesota law professor Perry Moriearty. Moriearty added that Vang &#8220;is facing deportation&#8221; and said that the &#8220;victim supports” the pardon, the documents viewed by Fox News show. 
The Daily Wire reached out to the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission for comment.
When arrested, he claimed it was part of his culture and said the victim should be charged as well. &#8220;I made a mistake, but this is a minor thing. It is a cultural thing in Thailand to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12,” he reportedly told police. 
For the crime, Vang spent just eight months at the Ramsey County, Minnesota, Correctional Workhouse and was given 30 years of supervised probation. The family of the victim pressured her to refuse to cooperate with law enforcement, according to prosecutors. 
Other members of the commission noted that Vang noted his fears of deportation and that he now has a large family. 
&#8220;The applicant stated the need for clemency related to immigration issues,” said commissioner Artika Roller, the executive director of Cornerstone, a <a href="https://cornerstonemn.org/about/leadership/">group</a> that purports to support victims of sexual violence. Roller supported the pardon. 
The Daily Wire also reached out to Cornerstone for comment. 
&#8220;Very tough case but the kids not having a father is not in the best interest of society,&#8221; said commission member and Mounds View Mayor Zach Lindstrom.
&#8220;The victim supports this pardon. His [Vang’s] wife stayed and has forgiven. He also [has] immigration concerns. He has remorse and was discharged from probation,” wrote commissioner Nadine Graves. &#8220;He retracted his prior statement about this being a result of culture. He admits this was wrong then and will always be wrong.&#8221;
Tami McConkey, director of the Victim Witness &amp; Postconviction Justice Division in Ramsey County, urged the commission to not recommend a pardon. 
&#8220;While Mr. Vang expresses shame and regret about what his children experience when then [sic] learn of the offense, he does not share any thoughts or insight about what the victim must have gone through,” she said. 
Walz, Democrat Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson ultimately accepted the recommendation and pardoned Vang.
Vang first came to the United States in 1994 and was given legal status by the Clinton administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security. An immigration judge issued Vang a final deportation order on October 31, 2006, following his conviction.
“Americans must never be forced by their elected leaders to live alongside foreign sex criminals who have no right to begin with to reside in our country,” Rubio said Friday when he announced Vang’s deportation. “This administration will always stand with the American people and defend them from violent criminals.”

JD Vance And Tim Walz Face Off In Vice Presidential Debate In New York

Read The Insane Argument Officials Made Against Deporting Child Rapist Pardoned By Tim Walz

Department of Homeland Security

Marco Rubio

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The Trump administration has swooped in to deport an illegal immigrant child sex offender weeks after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pardoned him.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that he revoked the legal status of Laotian national Tou Lue Vang, resulting in his deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Minnesota Board of Pardons voted on June 10 to grant Vang a pardon despite his past conviction for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://x.com/ICEgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ICEgov</a> has DEPORTED Tou Vang, the illegal alien CHILD RAPIST <a href="https://x.com/GovTimWalz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovTimWalz</a> pardoned in an attempt to allow him to remain in our country.
While Walz and his fellow sanctuary politicians fight to protect heinous criminals like this, we will continue putting the safety of the… <a href="https://t.co/QCzSnYh4zA">https://t.co/QCzSnYh4zA</a> <a href="https://t.co/rjBXI5qhlj">pic.twitter.com/rjBXI5qhlj</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2075579268369649674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;As of today, he has been removed from the United States. Because of our action, this foreign criminal will never pose a threat to any American ever again,&#8221; Rubio said in a <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/2075567815856177323">video</a> posted to X.
&#8220;Americans must never be forced by their elected leaders to live alongside foreign sex criminals who have no right to begin with to reside in our country. This administration will always stand with the American people and defend them from violent criminals,&#8221; he said.
The board, which includes Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison, and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, spared Vang days before he was set to be deported, Rubio said. Vang lost his legal status after he was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Laotian man tried to bribe his victim into silence and dismissed his crimes as &#8220;a cultural thing &#8230; to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12,&#8221; according to DHS.
The Minnesota Board of Pardons granted Vang a reprieve after receiving letters submitted in support of the foreign man, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/us/politics/minnesota-pardon-sexual-abuser.html?unlocked_article_code=1.uVA._PKl.HFrBqKOvwsY8&amp;amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The New York Times. One of the letters was authored by his victim, who said she had forgiven Vang and supported his request for a pardon.
Minnesota officials cited the victim&#8217;s statement as a major reason for their decision to pardon Vang.
The Ramsey County Attorney&#8217;s Office, which prosecuted the original case against Vang, opposed the pardon and argued that he received a lenient sentence of 30 years&#8217; probation because the victim, who was 12 at the time of prosecution, “was experiencing pressure from her family to not cooperate,&#8221; The New York Times reported.
Vang first came to the United States in 1994 and was given legal status by the Clinton administration, according to DHS.
An immigration judge issued Vang a final deportation order on October 31, 2006, following his conviction.
Vang is not the first foreigner Minnesota officials have attempted to shield from deportation. On May 27, 2026, the Minnesota Board of Pardons granted a pardon to Jai Vang, a Laotian illegal immigrant with felony convictions for robbery and robbery of a business with a gun, as well as a conviction for driving under the influence of liquor, according to DHS.

Minnesota Oversight 3/04/26

Trump Team Drops The Hammer After Tim Walz’s Illegal Alien Pardon

deportation

Vice President JD Vance tasked the Justice Department with probing accusations that Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz looked the other way while fraudsters bilked the state’s social services for upwards of $9 billion. 
Vance referred the Walz administration to the DOJ on Monday night after the House Oversight Committee released a <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/oversight-committee-releases-bombshell-report-exposing-rampant-fraud-plaguing-minnesotas-taxpayer-funded-social-programs/">lengthy report</a> accusing Walz and Minnesota Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison of allowing their state to be systematically defrauded. The committee also accused Walz of targeting whistleblowers who tried to warn state officials about vulnerabilities in the system. 
“I’ve referred these allegations to DOJ’s new Fraud Division for criminal investigation,” Vance <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/2064146608518746499/photo/2">announced</a> on X. “Minnesota state officials are not above the law, and if they facilitated fraud, lied under oath about what they knew, or harassed and [intimidated] whistleblowers, they must face justice.”
Leading the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on fraud, Vance sent the referral to Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, the head of the newly established National Fraud Enforcement Division. 
The 200-page report from the House Oversight Committee said that the Walz administration’s lax efforts to combat fraud led to $300 million in federal child nutrition aid being lost and put up to $9 billion in Medicaid-related funds in jeopardy. 
The committee said that Walz and Ellison were aware of major flaws in Minnesota’s administration of welfare benefits since 2019, but took no corrective action. Instead, Walz’s administration took action to target whistleblowers, the House report said. 
“If state officials in Minnesota or anywhere else in the country facilitated fraud or looked the other way while this theft was happening, if they actively prevented state and federal officials from stopping fraud and bringing fraudsters to justice, or if they intimidate and harassed whistleblowers who courageously tried to shine a light on the problem, they must be held accountable,” Vance wrote to McDonald. 
The Trump administration has focused on Minnesota in its anti-fraud crackdown. The White House shut down federal assistance payments to the state after independent journalist Nick Shirley published multiple videos showing apparent widespread fraud at so-called daycare centers. 
The administration is also taking action in Vance’s home state of Ohio after The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/medicaid-millionaires">reported</a> on Ohio’s administration of funds to questionable businesses that claim to administer home healthcare.

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Vance Brings The Heat After Bombshell Report On Fraud Under Walz

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The Minnesota Board of Pardons — which includes Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison — voted unanimously to pardon an illegal immigrant from Laos with three assault convictions, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
At Xayasounethone Chandee was convicted of assault in 1992, and an immigration judge ordered his deportation in 1995, DHS said. Chandee also had a conviction from 2008 for two felony counts of aggravated assault with a weapon, according to the agency.
Chandee entered the country as a Green Card holder when he was a minor. He was later stripped of his immigration status due to his criminal convictions, DHS said.
The board called an emergency meeting Monday after learning that the Trump administration could deport Chandee this week, <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/04/minnesota-grants-pardon-to-at-ricky-chandee-who-was-facing-deportation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Minnesota Public Radio.
DHS called the board&#8217;s decision &#8220;absolute insanity,&#8221; adding that it could foil its plans to deport him.
“Minnesota&#8217;s sanctuary politicians&#8217; pardon took away this violent thug’s qualifying convictions that made him removable from the U.S.,&#8221; Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement on Thursday.
Chandee applied for a pardon shortly before federal immigration agents arrested him in January, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
The Clemency Review Commission, which recommends clemency decisions to the pardon board, voted 6-0 in favor of Chandee&#8217;s pardon, the outlet reported. The board wasn&#8217;t scheduled to meet until June, but moved up the meeting after learning that Chandee could be deported within days.
“There is nothing in this application, or nothing in the facts before us that would suggest that Mr. Chandee is a danger to the public in any way, shape or form,” Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, who sits on the board, said of the pardon. “He has a lot of family support, which is obviously very important, and he&#8217;s had that support over the last 29 years.”
A federal appeals court in Louisiana paused Chandee&#8217;s deportation for 14 days after his attorney filed a request last week, according to Minnesota Public Radio. The federal government is likely to challenge Chandee&#8217;s pardon, his attorney, Linus Chan, said.
Chan also argued that the 2008 conviction never happened, the outlet reported. There was also no mention of it in his clemency application.
“There is no such conviction, and I am reaching out to DHS about where this information is coming from,&#8221; Chan said.
The commission recommended clemency for all applicants, except one, who were at risk of deportation, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

Untitled design – 2026-05-07T083536.407

Blue State Pardons Illegal Immigrant With Rap Sheet To Block Deportation Efforts

Keith Ellison

Vice President JD Vance compared Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz to an &#8220;arsonist trying to claim credit for the work of the fire department&#8221; after Walz praised his administration&#8217;s role in a series of anti-fraud raids on daycares around Minneapolis earlier this week.
Vance told Fox News host Will Cain on Wednesday that the Trump administration &#8220;really did not get much help at all from the Governor&#8217;s office&#8221; despite Walz&#8217;s <a href="https://x.com/GovTimWalz/status/2049153096358481927">claims</a> that state agencies helped initiate the investigation.
Walz said Tuesday that raids at nearly two dozen daycares and learning centers were conducted &#8220;by state and federal law enforcement &#8230; because our state agencies caught irregular behavior and reported it.&#8221;
Vance <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2049540492795240765">pushed back</a> sharply.
&#8220;This is like the arsonist trying to claim credit for the work of the fire department because Tim Walz let this fraud happen under his watch, whether he was complicit in it directly himself or just turned a blind eye towards it.&#8221;
&#8220;Where we did actually get some help was from some state and local law enforcement officers who we assigned to the federal task force because the state government wasn&#8217;t doing anything,&#8221; Vance added. &#8220;All credit goes to people on the ground: the state officers, the federal officers who are working to uncover this fraud.&#8221;
Vance, who was tapped by President Donald Trump in February to lead the administration&#8217;s crackdown on state-level fraud, <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2049586471967830054">said</a> that the White House&#8217;s anti-fraud task force has moved quickly to investigate suspected abuses, especially in Minnesota.
The probe gained national attention after independent journalist Nick Shirley posted videos in December raising questions about fraud tied to several Somali-run daycare and learning centers in the Twin Cities area.
&#8220;These investigations take a long time, so I was asking myself, &#8216;How quickly can we start getting into some real investigatory work, court-issued warrants, actually going door-to-door and finding out what&#8217;s going on?&#8217; People told me it would take at least six months,&#8221; Vance said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve gone from Nick Shirley&#8217;s video about the Minneapolis fraud schemes to &#8230; judges issuing warrants for this investigation in a matter of three months.&#8221;
Vance added that the federal government&#8217;s anti-fraud task force includes 280 law enforcement officers looking into the issue.
&#8220;We really have the most accelerated, aggressive anti-fraud operation that we&#8217;ve ever seen from the federal government,&#8221; the vice president said, adding, &#8220;This is far from done, but we&#8217;re making a lot of good progress.&#8221;
Federal agents with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security executed search warrants Tuesday at 22 sites, primarily daycare and learning centers, many of which are Somali-owned. No arrests were made during the raids, though dozens of individuals have been charged with fraud in recent months as federal prosecutors uncovered a massive fraud scheme targeting numerous Minnesota state programs.
&#8220;The President&#8217;s War on Fraud is working, as the task force and the entire Trump administration continue to work tirelessly to expose Fraudsters who have scammed the American people out of billions of dollars,&#8221; a Vance spokesperson told The Daily Wire on background.
Walz, who ended his bid for a third term as governor in January amid scrutiny over the scandal, has defended his administration&#8217;s response, arguing that state officials properly flagged fraudulent activity.
In his final State of the State address on Tuesday night, Walz claimed that he has done more than Republican-led states to crack down on fraud.
&#8220;We’ve created additional checks and balances. We have brought on more investigators, more auditors, and more law enforcement agencies, as well as an outside firm to take a look at high-risk programs,&#8221; he said. &#8220;People who have ripped us off are getting caught, and they are going to jail.&#8221;
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JD Vance/Tim Walz

Vance Rips Tim Walz For Taking Credit For Anti-Fraud Raids

Trump Administration

Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), who accused the Trump administration of exploiting his state&#8217;s fraud issue for political purposes, is now taking credit for law enforcement <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-wave-hits-as-feds-raid-more-minnesota-daycare-sites-in-growing-fraud-scandal?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=New+Wave+Hits+As+Feds+Raid+More+Minnesota+Daycare+Sites+In+Growing+Fraud+Scandal">raids</a> on more than 20 businesses in the Minneapolis area related to the federal government&#8217;s anti-fraud crackdown.
Walz <a href="https://x.com/GovTimWalz/status/2049153093841924376">addressed</a> the raids in a social media post on Tuesday, claiming that his administration is putting fraudsters &#8220;behind bars.&#8221; The governor added that the court-approved search warrants were executed early Tuesday morning as part of a joint federal-state operation.
&#8220;If you commit fraud in Minnesota you’re going to get caught — and that’s exactly what we saw today. We catch criminals when state and federal agencies share information. Joint investigations work, and securing justice depends on it,&#8221; Walz wrote. &#8220;Today’s raids by state and federal law enforcement happened because our state agencies caught irregular behavior and reported it.&#8221;
FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2049188920663916616?s=20">responded</a> to Walz on X and said that federal officials obtained and executed all of the search warrants on Tuesday.
&#8220;Come again? This FBI and DOJ with our DHS partners drafted and executed every search warrant today,&#8221; Patel said. &#8220;But go ahead and take credit for our work while we smoke out the fraud plaguing Minnesota under your governorship.&#8221;
At least 22 businesses were targeted in the raids. Many of the businesses being investigated by the feds are linked to Minnesota&#8217;s large Somali population. One of the locations raided by the feds on Tuesday morning was the now infamous Quality &#8220;Learing&#8221; Center, whose misspelled sign became the center of Minnesota&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/minneapolis-quality-learing-center-is-officially-closed-state-records-show">fraud controversy</a> in late December.
On Tuesday morning, federal agents were seen taking photos and moving a portable file case inside one daycare in South Minneapolis, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-federal-agents-daycares-suspected-fraud/">reported</a>.
Walz, who has been <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-minnesota-governor-walz-and-attorney-general-ellison-lied-about-knowledge-of-fraud-and-silenced-whistleblowers/#:~:text=Testimony%20and%20information%20obtained%20by,Employees%20sounded%20alarms.">accused</a> of lying about the scale of fraud in his state, admitted in a testimony before Congress earlier this year that state government programs have faced fraud problems. Walz, however, argued that his administration has been properly investigating and prosecuting fraud. In late December, Walz raged against President Donald Trump after the president moved to freeze federal child care payments to Minnesota over ongoing fraud issues.
&#8220;We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It’s a serious issue — but this has been [Trump&#8217;s] plan all along,&#8221; Walz <a href="https://x.com/GovTimWalz/status/2006159722940879183">said</a>. &#8220;He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.&#8221;
Walz also refused to cooperate with federal agents during the Trump administration&#8217;s Operation Metro Surge, which focused on deportations of illegal immigrants, but also included federal agents looking into suspected fraud. The operation was launched shortly after independent journalist Nick Shirley brought attention back onto Minnesota and Governor Walz with his reporting on Somali-owned daycares in December.
Fraud in state-run programs exploded under Walz&#8217;s watch going back to 2018. Since then, dozens of Somalis have been arrested and charged with defrauding numerous Minnesota social programs, including the federally funded Feeding Our Future nonprofit, which engaged in a massive fraud scheme during the COVID pandemic. The scandal also derailed Walz&#8217;s hopes for a third term as governor as he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/walz-governor-fraud-klobuchar.html">announced</a> in January that he was ending his re-election bid because of the growing fraud issues in his state.
After taking credit for the raids on suspected fraudsters on Tuesday, Walz called on the federal government to investigate the killings of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot to death by federal immigration agents in January.
&#8220;Now let’s work on a joint investigation into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — instead of cherry picking when we seek justice and when we turn a blind eye,&#8221; he wrote.

Tim Walz Brags About Fighting Somali Fraud. Kash Patel Is Not Amused.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz launched a new political action committee designed to do something he failed to do as a vice presidential candidate and as governor: win in rural areas.
Walz announced Monday he was launching a project called Small Town PAC with the goal of wooing rural voters to the Democratic Party. In recent years, Democrats have increasingly lost ground in rural areas with most of their support coming from major cities.
“Today, we’re launching Small Town PAC. We’re going to show up in small towns, organize in places too many people have given up on, and build power with the folks who call these places home,” Walz said. “If Democrats want to win in more places, we’ve got to start showing up in more places.”
The Small Town PAC website says that “rebuilding Democratic leadership starts with real conversations about the issues that actually impact people and the courage to challenge the powerful interests pulling communities apart.”
During the 2024 election, the Harris-Walz ticket won just nine of Minnesota’s 87 counties, with their support primarily coming in the population centers of Rochester, Minneapolis, and Duluth. The Trump-Vance ticket won the rest of the state’s more rural counties.
In his two governor’s races, Walz performed slightly better, winning 13 counties in 2022 and peaking at 21 in 2018. One <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/minnesota-poll-walz-approval-slips-161900149.html">poll</a> last year from the Minnesota Star Tribune found that six out of ten voters outside of the Twin Cities area disapproved of Walz. During his time in office, Walz has pushed radical Left policies from gun control to transgender ideology to abortion.
For the past three presidential cycles, Republicans have dominated in rural areas while Democrats have turned to cities. Between 2016 and 2024, Democrat candidates have consistently won 421 counties, while Republican candidates have swept 2,559 counties, and 132 counties have split votes, <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/County-level_presidential_election_voting_trends,_2016-2024">according</a> to Ballotpedia.
Walz attacked former opponent Vice President JD Vance in a statement on why he was launching the PAC.
“Republicans like JD Vance like to portray their small-town neighbors as petty, resentful, and small-minded. I disagree,” he said. “I think the problem facing small towns are Republicans like JD Vance.”
Responding to the criticism, Vance’s office pointed to the large amounts of fraud that have been flagged in Minnesota.
“The problem facing many small towns in Minnesota is that Tim Walz gives their money to fraudulent daycares,” the vice president’s office <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2026/04/20/trumps-inconvenient-truth-00880268">told</a> POLITICO.
Walz faced other criticism over the announcement of his new political project.
“If Democrats want to win in small towns again, this is the last person they should listen to,” <a href="https://x.com/HarryNiska/status/2046263996936826918">said</a> Rep. Harry Niska. &#8220;In eight years as Governor, he has shown voters across Greater Minnesota that the DFL no longer represents them.”

Second And Last Day Of Global Progressive Mobilisation In Barcelona

Tim Walz Is Back, And It Seems He Hasn’t Learned A Thing

Elections

J.D. Vance

Politics

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) grilled Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) during a contentious Capitol Hill hearing addressing the rampant fraud in his state, much of which has been tied to the Somali immigrant community.
Mace specifically asked Walz a series of questions about fraud linked to funding designated to help children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder — and the Minnesota governor, combative at times, struggled to answer some of the most basic questions about the people in his state.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Tim Walz can’t, or won’t, answer simple questions about the absolutely massive increase in Autism program spending in his state.
These numbers have been circulating publicly for some time.
This is just insane. What a fraud. <a href="https://t.co/eF2nWEL7Le">pic.twitter.com/eF2nWEL7Le</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/2029225712167620779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Mace began by asking Walz how much the state of Minnesota had spent on autism programs in 2017. Walz at first said that he did not know, and when Mace challenged him directly — asking whether he&#8217;d prepared for the hearing ahead of time — he argued that he did not know because he was not the governor in 2017.
&#8220;We&#8217;re gonna do some Minnesota math today,&#8221; Mace said, and she eventually revealed that Minnesota had spent approximately $1,000,000 on autism programs in 2017.
&#8220;How much money was spent on autism in Minnesota in 2024?&#8221; Mace asked then.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t have the number in front of me,&#8221; Walz replied. As governor I don&#8217;t —&#8221;
&#8220;Were you governor in 2024?&#8221; Mace asked.
&#8220;I was, but I&#8217;m not the —&#8221;
&#8220;Okay, so your excuse before, you didn&#8217;t know what 2017 autism numbers were because you were not governor, and today you can&#8217;t answer the numbers about 2024 as governor and you still said you prepared for this hearing today, it&#8217;s unbelievable,&#8221; Mace said. &#8220;$343,000,000 was spent in 2024. What percent increase is that, from one million to 343 million?&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m not here to be your prop, go ahead and tell me,&#8221; Walz snapped.
&#8220;Are you governor of Minnesota or not?&#8221; Mace asked.
&#8220;Yes, I am,&#8221; Walz replied.
&#8220;Well, when I&#8217;m governor of South Carolina, you can sure as hell bet that I&#8217;m going to know the math,&#8221; Mace shot back, explaining that it those numbers represented a 34,200% increase.
&#8220;Do you know the number of children in Minnesota?&#8221; she asked.
&#8220;I know that Minnesota ranked as a top three state for children in the last year,&#8221; Walz said.
Mace asked what the state&#8217;s total population was, and Walz knew the answer to that question: &#8220;5.7 million.&#8221;
&#8220;What is the total population of children in Minnesota?&#8221; Mace followed up.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t have the number in front of me,&#8221; Walz said.
&#8220;Are you governor of Minnesota?&#8221; Mace repeated. &#8220;And you don&#8217;t know the number of children residing in Minnesota? &#8230; As governor, I expect you to know this information. Thank God you&#8217;re not the vice president.&#8221;

‘Thank God You’re Not The Vice President’: Nancy Mace Grills Tim Walz Over Autism Funding Fraud

'Thank God You're Not The Vice President': Nancy Mace Grills Tim Walz Over Autism Funding Fraud

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Nancy Mace

Somalis

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