Republican lawmakers in Minnesota are blasting Democrat Governor Tim Walz after revelations surfaced that his administration spent a staggering $430,000 in taxpayer funds to hire a global law firm to prepare him for a congressional hearing on his controversial “sanctuary city” policies.
Invoices obtained by the Star Tribune show that the Walz administration contracted with powerhouse D.C. law firm K&L Gates to assist in preparing for Walz’s mid-June testimony before the House Oversight Committee.
The Committee is investigating blue-state governors for policies that shield illegal aliens from federal immigration enforcement.
In just the month of May alone, Walz racked up over $232,000 in legal bills, with attorneys billing the state an average of $516 per hour, according to the report.
The spending has sparked fierce criticism from state Republicans, who argue the money was wasted on political posturing and potentially tied to Walz’s own future political ambitions.
“A half a million dollars of taxpayer money to prepare the governor to go to his old stomping grounds seems exorbitant,” said Minnesota Rep. Jim Nash, one of two Republicans on the state’s Legislative Advisory Commission.
“The AG for the state of Minnesota was in Congress with Walz at the same time… they certainly could have figured out how to do what they were needing to do.”
Republican Rep. Harry Niska echoed Nash’s concerns and accused Walz of misusing state resources to boost his national image.
“There appears to be no legitimate legal interest in the state racking up nearly half a million dollars in what amounts to PR consulting,” Niska said.
“This is about laying the groundwork for a presidential campaign that’s going absolutely nowhere.
“It is unconscionable to make hardworking Minnesota taxpayers pay for the governor’s personal national political aspirations.”
Despite the backlash, Walz and his team did not explain the six-figure legal tab.
Instead, they blamed Republicans for holding what they called a political “spectacle.”
“They were too busy performing for the cameras to even feign interest in hearing from Gov. Walz about Minnesota’s balanced approach to immigration,” said Teddy Tschann, a Walz spokesperson.
Walz himself told reporters:
“It’s not where I wanted to spend money.
“It’s not where I wanted to spend my time, and it certainly proved that there was nothing there other than using it as grandstanding.”
But Republicans say the grandstanding is on the governor’s side, especially considering Walz served 12 years in Congress and is no stranger to Capitol Hill hearings.
“So, why did the governor feel the need to spend $430,000 of taxpayer money on a private firm to ‘prepare’ for this hearing?” Niska asked.
“He knows those hearing rooms inside and out.”
This isn’t the first time a Democrat-controlled city has spent massive sums of public money on legal coaching for congressional appearances.
In recent months:
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reportedly spent $650,000 on legal prep for a D.C. hearing.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston shelled out $250,000 for outside counsel for his own testimony.
But Minnesota Republicans argue this trend is unacceptable, especially when taxpayers are footing the bill for what they see as nothing more than political theater.
“Minnesotans deserve to know why their money is being used to shield Governor Walz from answering tough questions about policies that make their communities less safe,” Nash said.
The controversy comes as the Trump administration continues to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions across the country, demanding accountability from governors who defy federal immigration law while simultaneously draining public resources on legal defenses and political messaging.
READ MORE – Tim Walz Praises Communist China as World’s ‘Moral Authority’
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