Minnesota Officials Accused of Ignoring COVID Fraud Warnings: Attorney Claims

Allegations Against Minnesota Officials

• 🎯 An attorney for Amy Bach, the convicted ringleader of the $250 million Feeding Our Future COVID-19 fraud scheme, alleges that Minnesota officials ignored warnings about the fraud.
• 💡 Bach's attorney claims his client alerted Governor Tim Walz's administration and Attorney General Keith Ellison's office to potential fraud in 2020 and 2021.
• ⚠️ The attorney asserts that state officials did nothing and later lied about their knowledge of the scheme.

Federal Prosecutor's Resignation

• 📉 The federal prosecutor who led the fraud investigation, Joseph Thompson, reportedly resigned in protest.
• 🚫 Thompson also objected to the FBI's decision not to include state officials in its investigation into a separate ICE shooting incident.
• 📌 Five other federal prosecutors also resigned in protest, which is seen as a significant blow to the ongoing fraud investigation.

Audio Evidence and Ellison's Role

• 🎧 NewsNation obtained an audio tape from 2021 where Attorney General Keith Ellison pledges support to members of the Somali community, some of whom were later convicted in the fraud.
• 💰 The conversation on the tape appears to discuss campaign donations and Ellison's willingness to push back against state agencies on their behalf.
• ❓ This raises questions about a possible quid pro quo, contrasting with Ellison's public claims of investigating fraud and taking nothing from those involved.

Official Responses and Investigations

• 🏛️ Both Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison have been invited to testify before the House Oversight Committee in February regarding these allegations.
• 🗣️ Ellison has publicly stated he took a meeting in good faith and did nothing wrong, while acknowledging some individuals involved later turned out to have committed bad acts.
• 🔍 The US Treasury Secretary has vowed to follow the money and prosecute individuals involved, regardless of their position within the Minnesota government.