Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Amber Duke Lays Out Theory Behind Tim Walz Ending His Reelection Bid

Screenshot/Rumble/VINCE

Daily Caller senior editor Amber Duke said on “VINCE” on Wednesday that Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz may have decided not to seek reelection due to poor polling and the Somali fraud scandal.

Walz on Tuesday pledged to serve out the remainder of his term even as Republican Minnesota lawmakers urged him to resign over his handling of the scandal. Duke argued on the show that Walz wanted to hold onto power despite potentially facing legal consequences.

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“I think there’s two things. One is that he got back some polling and it didn’t look good. And the second is that I think he’s genuinely concerned that the law enforcement proceedings that are taking place in Minnesota are going to find some kind of connection between him and the Somali fraud,” Duke said. “He has received campaign donations from the Somali community. He was rushing to defend them, saying that calling out fraud was akin to white supremacy. You only do that if you’re worried about what they’re going to find in your own backyard.”

Walz deflected a reporter’s Dec. 12 query about whether there should be accountability for Somalis who committed fraud by attacking white men.

“And there have already been several whistleblowers who have insinuated that Tim Walz did not pursue the fraud sooner because he was worried about political backlash from the Somali community. And so I think where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Duke added. “But ultimately, the reality is that a lot of Democrats will not give up power, even if they are facing some kind of criminal investigation or jail time because they’re so obsessed with power. I think the bigger thing for him was probably the polling that showed he couldn’t win reelection.”

She said the Democrats may have forced Walz out in order to replace him with “someone like [Sen.] Amy Klobuchar,” whom she asserted was less connected to the Somali community in their state.

“Well, I have a way of proving that it’s not white supremacy. Prosecute that white goober,” Coglianese quipped. “Go after him. He deserves it. He definitely deserves it. And I hope you’re right. I really hope that criminal consequences are coming for him and he knows it.”

YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a viral video on Dec. 26, featuring visits to a slew of licensed child care and health care providers in Minnesota participating in taxpayer-funded programs that were seemingly non-operational. Walz’s office defended his record on fraud in a Dec. 28 statement to Fox News after Shirley’s video.

“The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action,” Walz’s office told Fox News. “He has strengthened oversight — including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed.”

Moreover, FBI Director Kash Patel asserted in a Dec. 28 X post that his agency was “aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota.”

“However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs,” Patel wrote. “Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide.”

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said on Dec. 18 that suspected fraud in Minnesota’s Medicaid program may exceed $9 billion.