Tim Walz has dropped out of his re-election bid for Minnesota governor. There is a great scandal in the background

Minnesota Governor and former US vice presidential candidate Tim Walz announced on Monday that he would withdraw from the re-election fight. He made this decision in the face of a scandal related to the fraud of billions of dollars in social benefits by members of the Somali community in the state.

As Walz said in a statement, he decided to withdraw from the elections to be able to focus more on his work as governor, especially in response to the high-profile scandal of extortion of state funds by Somalis in recent weeks.

“I have concluded that I cannot fully devote myself to a political campaign. Every minute I spend defending my political interests would be a minute I could not spend defending Minnesotans from criminals who prey on our generosity and cynics who prey on our differences,” the governor wrote.

“That's why I decided to withdraw from the race and let others worry about the elections while I focus on work,” he added. Walz back in September last year. announced that he would run for Minnesota governor, which will take place in November 2026.

Walz is serving a second term in the state, and in 2024 he was Kamala Harris's running mate in the presidential race. The politician has recently been the subject of intense criticism in connection with the scandal. A federal prosecutor in Minnesota said in December that he estimated that over $9 billion had been defrauded by individuals and companies linked to the state's Somali community in recent years. social funds, including setting up fictitious nurseries and immigrant assistance centers. It was, among others, the effect of expanding social welfare programs under Walz's government, including in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Walz and his team were accused of negligence in controlling the spending of funds. After revealing a series of frauds, state authorities suspended or limited some support programs.

Minnesota has the largest concentration of Somalis in the US, although it is estimated that most people of Somali descent hold US citizenship.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken out about the scandal, and on Sunday he called for the expulsion of all “thieving American taxpayers' money” from the country, including left-wing congresswoman Ilhan Omar from Somalia. In the wake of the scandal, federal authorities withheld some of Minnesota's child care funds. The funds are to be released only when the state “proves that the money is being spent lawfully.”

According to CBS, Walz may be replaced by Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar, who also has presidential ambitions in the past.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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