A top blue state governor conservatives disapproved for inflicting “deep harm” on the Somali-American community, while the state’s top prosecutor warned of possible charges after citizen journalists filmed meetings with alleged Minneapolis-style child care providers and streamed them online.
Citizen journalists have increased public visibility of rampant fraud allegations in Minnesota, with much of the accusations coming from within the Somali community there. Weeks after Gov. Tim Walz came under fire, other bloggers traveled to Seattle and King County, Washington, to visit what they said were also fraudulent day care centers, drawing Olympia’s ire.
Elon Musk, former head of the White House Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), highlighted media posted by Kristen Magnuson, who along with Cam Higby – an independent journalist recently affiliated with Charlie Kirk’s conservative organization Turning Point USA – and podcaster Jonathan Choe sounded the alarm about alleged Minneapolis-style situations happening in the Pacific Northwest.
“They are abusing this exploit,” Musk claimed in response to a message from Magnuson with a video scrolling through a list of as many as 539 daycare centers in Washington state that she said would list Somali as the primary language.
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Meanwhile, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, has went to X to post several photos of his meeting with what he said were leaders of the Somali community.
During those meetings, Ferguson said he discussed “the deep damage (caused by Donald Trump’s harmful rhetoric and reckless deportations). Here in Washington state, we recognize that diversity is a strength.”
Democrats have claimed this “damage” as an uptick in anti-Somali rhetoric, and some liberals have condemned citizen journalists who took it upon themselves to visit so-called daycare centers.
When Fox News Digital tried Wednesday to recreate the list of 539 daycare centers from the official Ministry of Children and Youth Services websitewas the option to select Somali as the primary language removed or was not there. Magnuson said several daycares did not have addresses or other standard identifying information.
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Choe responded to Washington Governor Ferguson’s question on X, warning that he has a “serious Somali fraud problem in (his) state,” especially in King County, Washington, which Choe claimed was “especially out of control.”
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“Hey Bob, can you explain this for us?” Higby Ferguson replied on
In the video, a man accompanying Higby approached the door of the apparent residence and asked if the building was “Dhagash Family Child Care.” A female voice replied, “No,” and Higby said “rustling” was heard as his partner approached a security camera.
In another video, Higby claimed he went to an address listed for a daycare that reportedly received $800,000 in grants in the city of Kent, Washington, but found “no daycare here” when he approached what appeared to be a residential address.
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“Records show that huge subsidy payments have been made following inspections that reflect the risk of child death,” Higby wrote.
“There are 539 child care centers in Washington State that list Somali as a primary language. Most do not even list an address. I do not know how many of these centers are submitting fraudulent claims for state grants and subsidies, but I strongly suspect the number is not zero,” said a separate statement from Magnuson.
The Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) told Fox News Digital that the agency “values our licensed child care providers and the important work they do to care for and educate our youngest students.”
“We take fraud seriously. Washington State uses a variety of measures to minimize fraud. For example, DCYF conducts unannounced site visits to each licensed child care provider at least once a year,” the agency said.
DCYF also randomly checks its records to confirm the accuracy of payouts to child care providers, the agency said, verifying attendance and matching families eligible to receive such benefits. The agency said it had conducted 1,440 audits in 2024.
Regarding the lack of addresses found by Magnuson, DCYF said the state has addresses for every provider listed, even if the public website does not have complete data, and that approximately 5,500 providers or 2.6% statewide list Somali as their “spoken language.”
DCYF told Fox News Digital that anyone suspecting fraud should contact the state’s hotline directly at 1-800-562-6906.
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Washington State Government Reporter Carleen Johnson also replied to Ferguson’s tweet, saying she visited several “Somali-run home shelters” in Federal Way, comparing her visits to those of YouTuber Nick Shirley in Minneapolis.
“There were no children and no one willing to talk to this reporter. They threatened me with the police,” she said.
As the videos emerged, Washington’s Democratic Attorney General Nicholas Brown said his office received complaints from Somali residents “following reports that home-based child care providers were being harassed and accused of fraud without any fact-checking.”
“We are in contact with the Department of Children, Youth and Families regarding the claims being posted online and the harassment being reported by child care providers,” Brown said, adding that showing up on someone’s porch and “threatening or harassing them is not an investigation; neither is filming minors who may be in the home.”
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Brown urged anyone subjected to this treatment to contact police or his office’s Hate Crimes & Bias Hotline.
“If you believe fraud has occurred, there are appropriate measures in place to report and investigate,” Brown said in a statement. Where “fraud is substantiated and verified by law enforcement and regulatory agencies, people must be held accountable.”
Higby responded when Brown appeared to reference his work, tweeting that “journalists coming to daycares and asking for applications is not harassment or a threat – unless of course it’s a fraudulent daycare, then it could be threatening to the fraud ring.”
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The FAA has issued a ground freeze for the Seattle airport. (Reuters/Chris Helgren)
Neither Brown nor Ferguson’s office responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment as of press time.
According to to NewsweekMagnuson filtered her searches for Somali as the primary language of a daycare center, and added a filter for beneficiaries of the Washington “Early Achievers” program, which “entitles them to state funding. That second filter brought the number of returned centers down to 274,” according to the outlet.
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