The US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessant has opened a formal investigation into allegations that Minnesota taxpayers’ money may have been funneled to the Somali terrorist group Al-Shabaab through alleged fraud.
Treasury Secretary orders investigation into Minnesota tax dollars
On Monday, Bessent shared a message Xciting a report by Christopher F. Rufo alleging that “America’s Somali fraud gangs… have stolen billions in taxpayer money – and sent some of it to Islamic terrorists in their homeland.”
Bessent wrote: “At my direction, @USTreasury is investigating allegations that under the abject mismanagement of the Biden administration and Governor Tim Walz, the tax dollars of hardworking Minnesotans may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.”
Reports claim Minnesota fraudsters are funneling billions to Al-Shabaab
Rufo’s report specifically alleged that the Minnesota Taxpayers were the “largest financier of Al-Shabaab,” which involved fraud groups linked to the state’s Somali-Amharic community.
Bessent added: “Thanks to the leadership of @POTUS @realDonaldTrump, we are acting quickly to ensure that US taxes do not fund acts of global terror. We will share our findings as our investigation continues.”
Related: Jeff Bezos always believed the iPad wasn’t a ‘Kindle killer’, and he’s still turning the page on Apple: ‘You don’t understand my audience.’
GOP Escalates Attacks on Walz Over Fraud Allegations
On Monday, the White House criticized the government. Tim Waltz (D-Minn.), accusing him of overseeing a $1 billion fraud scheme following the president’s lead Donald Trump’s claim that the state has become a hub for money laundering activities linked to Somali refugee communities.
The government noted that 78 of the 86 defendants in the ongoing federal case are of Somali descent.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt repeated these accusations against X, arguing that Walz’s failed leadership cost taxpayers $1 billion.
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) accused Walz of allowing $1 billion in taxpayer money to be stolen and praised President Trump for taking steps to address the alleged fraud.
Walz said last week that he welcomes a federal investigation into the claims. reported CBS News.
His statement followed letters from both Minnesota’s Republican congressional delegation and state GOP lawmakers urging U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen to initiate a formal review.
Read next:
Photo courtesy: Maxim Elramsisy on Shutterstock.com
Disclaimer: This content was produced in part using AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga’s editorial staff.
#Scott #Bessent #orders #Treasury #Department #investigation #claims #Minnesota #tax #dollars #diverted #Somali #terrorist #organization #weak #Biden #administration