The vastness of fraud committed in Minnesota on his watch is a touchy subject for Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
The scale was so huge that Vice President JD Vance officially referred both Ellison and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for Justice Department investigations, as noted by local outlet Minnpost.
But when asked by a reporter about the $8 billion in fraud committed in his state, Ellison lashed out at the amount, according to Fox News.
Auditors warned about weak oversight. State employees raised concerns. One of the largest fraud scandals in Minnesota history happened anyway.
Keith Ellison has been Attorney General for nearly 8 years.
Minnesotans deserve answers.#MadgettForMN
— David Madgett (@MadgettDavid) June 20, 2026
“That is a false number… The fact is, is that fraud is always wrong,” Ellison said. “Why don’t you give me a break, man?”
Ellison then suggested only those aligned with Trump believe that much fraud was committed, he would not speak to the reporter who used the figure.
“If you ask the newspapers for a forensic accounting, the number you mentioned is tightly identified with people of a very unique political persuasion aligned with the Trump administration,” Ellison said.
WATCH: Minnesota fraud enabler and part-time Attorney General Keith Ellison has a temper tantrum and storms off during an interview after being asked about fraud:
“I’m done talking to you.” pic.twitter.com/Xp4WDdHek8
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) June 20, 2026
“So, I’m done talking to you. Bye-bye,” he said.
Although asked to provide a different number, Ellison only said the $8 billion figure was incorrect.
“It’s wrong though. And if you’re a real reporter, you should know that,” Ellison said.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson has estimated about half of $18 billion paid via 14 Medicaid programs since 2018 could be fraud.
I’ve referred these allegations to DOJ’s new Fraud Division for criminal investigation. Minnesota state officials are not above the law, and if they facilitated fraud, lied under oath about what they knew, or harassed and intimated whistleblowers, they must face justice. https://t.co/EatSBh9Gh6 pic.twitter.com/7JeFcgkTV0
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 9, 2026
After a House Oversight and Government Reform report used that figure, Republican Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota called for Ellison and Walz to resign, according to a news release on Emmer’s website.
“If these allegations are true, Tim Walz and Keith Ellison should leave office in handcuffs. At the very least, they should resign from office in disgrace,” he said.
“Public officials need to be held accountable for allowing billions of taxpayer dollars to be stolen from Minnesotan and American taxpayers. We’ve had enough,” he said.
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