The Trump administration is investigating whether Minnesota tax money was diverted to Al-Shabaab, a US-designated terror group and Al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday, according to CBS News.
Bessent wrote on social media that the Treasury is “investigating allegations that under the feckless mismanagement of the Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz, hardworking Minnesotans’ tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.”
He shared a Nov. 19 report alleging millions from Minnesota welfare programs “ultimately landed in the hands of the terror group Al-Shabaab,” citing law enforcement sources. Several Minnesota Republicans, including Rep. Tom Emmer, have urged federal prosecutors to investigate.
Walz’s office pointed CBS News to remarks last week in which the governor said he welcomes an investigation and would cooperate with authorities.
Minnesota has faced repeated allegations of large-scale fraud in public assistance programs. Dozens have been charged in a $250 million scheme involving the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, accused of stealing federal nutrition aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fraud charges have also been brought in housing aid and autism programs.
Many defendants in these cases are members of Minnesota’s Somali community. Somali American former investigator Kayseh Magan wrote last year that while some community members are implicated, many are also victims of the schemes.
Claims of state money reaching terror groups have circulated for years. A 2019 report by Minnesota’s Office of the Legislative Auditor said it was “unable to substantiate” allegations but noted it was “possible” funds may have been sent overseas and eventually reached terrorists.
Andy Lugar, a Biden- and Obama-era US attorney for Minnesota, told the Star Tribune last month that those charged in the Feeding Our Future case “were looking to get rich, not fund overseas terrorism.”