On Monday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced in a post on X that the Treasury Department opened an investigation at President Donald Trump’s direction. The investigation will look at claims of large-scale fraud in Minnesota’s social service programs.
Last week, Trump called Minnesota a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” in response to unverified reports that Al-Shabaab, a Somali terror group affiliated with Al Qaeda, benefited from fraud committed in the state.
Minnesota state officials have shut down implicated programs. Gov. Tim Walz said he welcomed an investigation, and Trump ended temporary protected status for Somalis on Nov. 21, citing fraud allegations.