Radical Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has pushed back on the public scrutiny facing Minnesota’s Somali community over the sprawling “Feeding Our Future” fraud scandal.
Omar, who was born in Somalia, is arguing that Somalis are victims of the scheme and blames the state for failing to catch the fraud before it exploded.
During an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan noted that the Biden-era Department of Justice described the case as the largest pandemic fraud scheme in the country.
As Brennan noted, the overwhelming majority of charged offenders in the case come from Minnesota’s Somali diaspora.
“Why do you think this fraud was allowed to get so widespread?” Brennan asked.
Omar responded by claiming that the scandal financially hurt Somalis living in the state who “could have benefited from the program,” which was funded by taxpayers.
“I want to say this also has an impact on Somalis, because we are also taxpayers in Minnesota,” Omar said.
“We also could have benefited from the program and the money that was stolen.
“So it’s been really frustrating for people to not acknowledge the fact that we’re also, as Minnesotans, as taxpayers, really upset and angry about the fraud that has occurred.”
Omar Points to Minnesota State Government Failures
Pressed on whether Minnesota’s Democrat-controlled state government failed in its oversight responsibilities, Omar pointed to gaps in the system.
“That is what I alluded to in my letter that I had sent to the Secretary of AG was to see where things were going wrong,” she said.
“How can this amount of money disappear fraudulently without there being alarms set off?
“And it is something that, you know, we have to continue to investigate.
“We have to continue to ask those questions.”
WATCH:
Trump Blames “Incompetence” in St. Paul
President Donald Trump and administration officials have repeatedly highlighted the scandal as evidence of systemic mismanagement under Democrat Gov. Tim Walz.
The president is calling the scandal a breakdown in basic oversight of federal child-nutrition programs.
Trump and Omar have traded barbs in recent days.
Omar has accused Trump of using “bigoted” rhetoric.
It comes after Trump criticized Minnesota’s handling of the fraud and described Omar and the Somali criminals as “garbage.”
Trump’s remarks were made in the context of the Feeding Our Future prosecutions and other alleged schemes tied to state agencies.
Hundreds of Millions in Taxpayer-Funded Aid Lost to Fraud
The Feeding Our Future case has drawn national attention as prosecutors continue filing charges.
Federal officials say the Minnesota nonprofit and its network of associates defrauded federal child-nutrition programs of hundreds of millions of dollars during the pandemic.
According to The New York Times:
“Over the last five years, law enforcement officials say, fraud took root in pockets of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora as scores of individuals made small fortunes by setting up companies that billed state agencies for millions of dollars’ worth of social services that were never provided.”
Omar: Scheme Was “Reprehensible”
Omar emphasized that she was one of the first federal officials to demand answers when the scandal emerged.
She previously told KARE 11 News:
“The alleged fraud scheme orchestrated by ‘Feeding Our Future’ is reprehensible.
“Using the guise of feeding children to funnel millions of dollars toward extravagant expenses is abhorrent, and anyone who participated in this scheme must be held accountable.”
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