Independent journalist Nick Shirley has blasted CBS News reporter Jonah Kaplan for releasing a video asserting that Minnesota’s Somali-run phony “daycare centers” were not “fraudulent” without even attempting to visit the facilities himself.
The fake “daycares” were those featured in Shirley’s viral fraud investigation.
Kaplan, a reporter with CBS News’ Minneapolis affiliate, appeared in a video shared Tuesday on CBS News’s X account.
The video presented “its own analysis” of nearly a dozen daycare locations highlighted in Shirley’s reporting.
In the segment, Kaplan insisted that although some of the facilities Shirley visited had been cited for safety and cleanliness violations, his review found no proof of fraud.
“We visited those sites too, as did state inspectors many times over the last six months, and we found the facts on the ground tell a different story,” Kaplan said.
“Those daycares, many of them were written up for safety violations, things like maybe busted equipment or staff training issues, but that’s not the same as being fraudulent, so it’s important to put all of this into context.”
Kaplan’s video drew criticism online for not showing what CBS described as its on-site investigation, prompting Shirley to respond directly.
Shirley noted that Kaplan attempted to debunk his reporting without actually visiting the facilities in person.
“Why don’t you go to a daycare yourself, and you will see it firsthand,” Shirley wrote on X.
“Or you can just keep yapping on selfie mode.”
In a 42-minute video posted to X and YouTube over the weekend, Shirley documented visits to multiple ghost daycare centers across Minnesota.
Several of the facilities appeared largely inactive despite continuing to receive millions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Kaplan’s full report for “CBS Evening News” on Tuesday stated that all but two of the locations Shirley visited had active licenses.
The report also noted that CBS News had “visited and called several of the day care centers on Monday but received no responses.”
Minnesota officials have also pushed back on Shirley’s findings.
Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown said prior inspections had not identified fraudulent activity.
“We are aware of a video that’s being circulated that has gained local and national attention about childcare centers in Minnesota,” Brown said during a Monday news conference.
“While we have questions about some of the methods that were used in the video, we do take the concerns that the video raises about fraud very seriously.”
Following the release of Shirley’s investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday that it would halt childcare payments to Minnesota while the situation is reviewed.
READ MORE – Whistleblower Exposes Massive Somali Fraud Scam in Ohio
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