Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Wednesday that he was misled by individuals tied to the massive Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, acknowledging that the people he met with in 2021 “were fraudsters” who deceived him.
Questioned by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) about a December 2021 meeting he had with figures found to be involved in the Feeding Our Future fraud case, Ellison said the individuals he spoke with were dishonest about their activities and misrepresented the situation surrounding the nonprofit network.
“Let me just be clear. These people were fraudsters,” Ellison said. The case has grown to include 98 defendants since state and federal prosecutors began investigating the matter in 2022. “They were liars. They lied to me, they lied to courts, they lied to everyone.”
An audio recording of the 2021 meeting showed Ellison appear to promise the Somali business leaders that he would back them if state agencies tried to shut down their operations.
Ellison said during the hearing on Wednesday that meeting with community members who are raising concerns about government programs is a routine part of his role as attorney general. He defended the meeting as standard outreach, even though several people connected to the nonprofit network were later charged in the sprawling fraud investigation.
“I do meet with community meetings all the time. It’s a regular part of my job,” Ellison said. “Nothing unusual about me meeting with people. Nothing unusual about me telling people if you’ve got a problem, my office will try to help you.”
Later in the hearing, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) questioned Ellison about the same meeting, referencing comments from the audio recording in which Ellison can be heard criticizing state agencies investigating the nonprofit network.
Biggs said several of the individuals present at the meeting were later convicted in the fraud scheme and asked Ellison whether he recalled telling the group that scrutiny of their organizations was “piddly, stupid stuff” harming small businesses. He also quizzed the attorney general about several of the named defendants in the case, a majority of whom are of Somali origin.
WATCH: AG Ellison Repeatedly Doesn’t Have the Answer to Representative Biggs Questions – 03/04/26 pic.twitter.com/gD4ujFNf7P
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) March 4, 2026
Ellison reiterated that the attendees had misled him and investigators and denied recognizing several of the Feeding Our Future defendants Biggs read aloud.
Biggs also suggested Ellison later accepted as much as $10,000 in campaign donations tied to individuals involved in the case, an allegation Ellison rejected during the hearing.
“I would disagree with that characterization entirely,” Ellison said.
Republicans on the committee argued the meeting raises questions about what Minnesota officials knew about the fraud and when they knew it. The scrutiny comes as federal prosecutors continue pursuing cases connected to the Feeding Our Future scandal, which authorities say involved roughly $250 million in federal child nutrition funds diverted through fraudulent meal distribution sites during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier in the hearing, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) cited what he said was a 54-minute audio recording of the December 2021 meeting and said Ellison told attendees he was “here to help” when they complained about increased scrutiny of their nonprofit groups.
House Majority Whip and Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer TORCHES AG Keith Ellison for his relationship with Somali fraudsters:
EMMER: “You told them ‘of course I’m here to help.’ It’s on the internet. Anyone can listen to you say that.” pic.twitter.com/eZ6GYSzrW0
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 4, 2026
Emmer also pointed to a later statement from Ellison’s office saying it had been “deeply involved for two years in holding Feeding Our Future accountable,” arguing the timeline raises questions about Ellison’s awareness of the allegations at the time of the meeting.
“When you had this meeting in December 2021, did you know about the long-running FBI investigation into Feeding Our Future?” Emmer asked.
Ellison initially dodged Emmer’s questions earlier in the hearing but said he had already addressed the issue publicly.
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Democrats spent a majority of the hearing criticizing Republicans as placating President Donald Trump by focusing on the fraud in the state, arguing it was a distraction from the broader immigration crackdown that took place in the Twin Cities at the start of the year.
Federal authorities have charged dozens of defendants in connection with the Feeding Our Future case, which prosecutors have described as one of the largest pandemic-era fraud schemes uncovered in the United States.
