The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Hour 2 - The Welfare Fraud Scandal Keeps Growing
Date: December 30, 2025
Hosts: Tudor Dixon & Kyle Olson (guest hosting)
Guest: Steve Robinson (Editor in Chief, Maine Wire)

Episode Overview

This hour of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show delves into a widening welfare fraud scandal, focusing especially on Minnesota, with connections to other states such as Ohio and Maine. Guest hosts Tudor Dixon and Kyle Olson unpack the political, social, and financial ramifications, and interview investigative reporter Steve Robinson to discuss how fraudulent welfare disbursements are funneled through Somali-run organizations, some allegedly linked to terror groups, and the complications of accountability within Democratic and Republican circles. The episode also covers Nancy Pelosi’s retirement from Congress and the implications for the Democratic Party, before opening the phone lines for passionate caller commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nancy Pelosi’s Retirement and Party Dynamics

• Discussion on Pelosi’s Legacy:

  • Pelosi stepping down after 39 years in Congress at age 86.
  • Hosts reflect on her “passing the torch” but criticize her for clinging to power and failing to foster younger leadership.
  • Kyle Olson: “You look at their leadership and it’s all of these old people like Nancy Pelosi.” (04:00)
  • Tudor Dixon suggests Pelosi’s most memorable action is tearing up Trump’s State of the Union speech, revealing the party’s deep divisions.

• Pelosi’s Infamous State of the Union Moment:

  • Audio clip replay of Pelosi’s pushback against conservative questioning over Jan. 6 and National Guard.
  • Tudor Dixon: “She is such a spaz.” (05:41)
  • Olson highlights her approach to press—aggressive when questioned by conservatives.
  • Dixon notes that the media’s focus on antics like tearing up the speech overshadowed substantive issues.

• Democratic Party’s Future:

  • Pelosi’s anointed successor Hakeem Jeffries seen as uncharismatic; “nobody really likes” him (06:51).
  • Olson points out rising progressive figures (e.g., Scott Weiner, Sakat Chakrabarti, AOC) reflect a party moving even further left.

2. Homelessness and Welfare in California:

• Dixon criticizes California for maintaining a “homelessness industry,” arguing that billions are spent annually on ‘managing’ rather than solving the problem.
  • “If it’s not a problem, then where do you get... I think it’s probably... a $1 billion industry in just San Francisco.” (13:28)
  • Olson describes his experience in San Francisco filming “Dummy Crats,” easily encountering street filth and city workers managing, not solving, the issue.

3. Minnesota’s Expanding Welfare Fraud Scandal

• Introduction:

  • Dixon introduces independent reporter Nick Shirley’s work exposing billions in alleged welfare fraud run through Somali organizations in Minnesota.
  • Audio montage reveals the lack of children at taxpayer-funded daycares and the staggering scale of fraud.
  • “Potentially the largest fraud scandal in US history is taking place in Minnesota..." (20:48, Nick Shirley/clip)

• Connection to Terrorism:

  • Some welfare money allegedly traced to terrorist groups in Somalia.
  • Dixon: “Imagine finding out that your taxpayer dollars are going... into the hands of immigrants. We don’t even know if they’re legal or if they’re illegal...” (21:20)

• Hostility to Investigative Journalism:

  • Kyle Olson: “A young man with a camera...polite questions... met with hostility, doors slammed in his face.” (21:53)
  • Dixon: “He is really attacked for even asking these questions.” (22:31)

4. Welfare Fraud’s Reach: Ohio, Maine, and Beyond

• Ohio News Break:

  • Olson details breaking Ohio story: a Somali-American community leader, with links to Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, appointed to a state commission, but facing a personal tax lien and connected to nonprofits “funded by… taxpayer dollars.” (24:01-24:53)
  • Dixon warns, “Republicans need to open their eyes.”

• Maine Investigation—Interview with Steve Robinson: (25:15–35:53)

  • Fraud as a Political-Community Compact:

    • Robinson argues the fraud is not just Somali, but a “Somali Democrat problem,” with both political leaders and community gatekeepers benefiting.
    • “The Somali community leaders… accumulate wealth… Democratic politicians can reliably count on thousands of votes… they feed into one another.” (26:00)

  • Welfare, Voting & COVID Funds:

    • Robinson reveals COVID relief and other public funds funneled to organizations in migrant communities, fueling Democratic get-out-the-vote strategies:
      • “They were allowed to keep track… of voting age adults… AKA get out the vote operations.” (31:00)
      • Registering for public benefits automatically initiates voter registration, legally mandated.
    • The Mills administration (and others) grants no-bid contracts to organizations serving migrants, some later found implicated in fraud.

  • Election Integrity Concerns:

    • Migrant organizations located in subsidized housing, facilitating easy ballot harvesting.
    • Robinson on Maine Secretary of State Shanna Bellows: “She admitted noncitizens are registered to vote in Maine…and she chuckled about it…” (29:00)
    • Data and contracts linked to suspect organizations are being scrubbed now that investigations are public.

  • Fraud’s Broader Pattern:

    • Dixon and Robinson agree similar schemes are in Minnesota and Michigan, reflected in unexplainable surges in Democratic votes.

5. Caller Perspectives on Assimilation, Accountability, and Medicaid:

• Assimilation & Accountability (Bob from Georgia, 40:30):

  • “People come into this country not assimilating… the Somalis are the latest... They don’t want to be American, they want what we have in America.”
  • Expresses frustration with lack of prosecutions: “I just don’t see people going to jail… there’s no accountability.” (41:10)

• Medicaid Expansion and Red State Complicity (Jay from Ohio, 42:17):

  • Blames bipartisan expansion of Medicaid for exposing the system to fraud; explains Ohio’s high federal reimbursements and fraud, “Ohio had a 43.3% fraud rate on a $40 billion annual spend.”
  • Urges national leaders: “You control the valve. Shut off the Medicaid expansion. Why do we still have Barack Obama’s Medicaid expansion from 2013?” (43:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pelosi’s State of the Union moment:

  • “What she is most well known for is standing behind the President of the United States… and deciding to tear up his speech. She was snubbing all of the people that we were celebrating as a country in the room that day.”
    — Tudor Dixon (11:05)

• On Fraud’s Alleged Terrorist Links:

  • “Some of this money eventually landed in the hands of terrorist groups in Somalia like Al Shabaab.” — Clip/Nick Shirley (21:08)

• On Political-Migrant Coalition:

  • “It’s not specifically a Somali problem, it’s a Somali Democrat problem... The Somali community leaders... accumulate wealth... and the Democratic politicians can reliably count on thousands of votes.”
    — Steve Robinson (26:00)

• On Get Out the Vote via Welfare:

  • “So any taxpayer funded initiative to sign someone up for snap, an EBT card, Medicaid is also a get out the vote drive.” — Steve Robinson (32:00)

• On Response to Journalistic Inquiry:

  • “He’s met with hostility, with doors being slammed in his face.”
    — Kyle Olson (21:53)

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Content | Timestamp | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------|---------------| | Pelosi retirement, Democratic divisions | 03:40–12:39 | | California’s homelessness/welfare spending | 12:59–15:36 | | The Minnesota Somali daycare fraud scandal | 19:41–23:36 | | Breaking Ohio story—GOP connection to Somali nonprofit | 24:01–24:53 | | Steve Robinson on Maine’s Somali welfare/voter fraud | 25:15–35:53 | | Caller segment: assimilation, Medicaid, accountability | 40:30–43:42 |

Tone & Style

• Conversational & Direct: Hosts use humor, sarcasm, and strong opinions to engage listeners.
• Investigative, Skeptical: Frequent questioning of motives of politicians and bureaucrats, regardless of party.
• Outrage & Concern: Underlying the hour is a sense of disbelief and anger at widespread, unaddressed fraud and lack of accountability.
• Populist: Sympathy for ordinary taxpayers and frustration with elite or establishment inaction.

This summary distills the substance and tone of the episode, offering a clear guide for anyone looking to understand the core issues, arguments, and emotions aired in “The Welfare Fraud Scandal Keeps Growing.”