BONUS POD: Fraud, Politics and Terror Links in Walz's Nightmare Explosive Medicaid Controversy

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Verdict with Ted Cruz

Episode: BONUS POD: Fraud, Politics and Terror Links in Walz's Nightmare Explosive Medicaid Controversy

Date: December 2, 2025
Hosts: Ben Ferguson (guest hosting, 47 Morning Update)
Primary Theme:
A deep dive into the Medicaid fraud scandal in Minnesota, implicating Governor Tim Walz, alleged ties to terrorist funding, massive government whistleblowing, and the broader political implications for national security and the Democratic Party.

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Episode Overview

This episode of "Verdict with Ted Cruz," guest-hosted by Ben Ferguson, explores explosive allegations of state-level Medicaid fraud in Minnesota. The discussion highlights:

• Massive whistleblower reports implicating Governor Tim Walz in ignoring and retaliating against those who reported fraud
• Alleged diversion of public funds toward terrorist organizations
• Political calculations involving the Somali community in Minnesota
• Reactions by both state officials and the media
• Broader national security and election concerns

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Whistleblower Revelations and Government Retaliation

Timestamp: 05:34–09:40

• Over 400 employees in the Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services have accused Governor Walz of being complicit in, or at minimum willfully ignoring, the "biggest fraud case in the state's history."

  • The whistleblowers claim they reported the fraud early on, “hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud. But no, we got the opposite response.”
  • Allegations of “systematic retaliation” by Walz included “monitoring, threats, repression,” and efforts to discredit those attempting to blow the whistle.

• Quote (Read by Ferguson):

  “Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. ... Instead of partnership, we got the full weight of retaliation by Tim Walz, certain DFL members, and an indifferent mainstream media. It's scary, isolating, and left us wondering, who can we turn to?”
  [07:16]

• The Office of Legislative Auditor was reportedly disempowered, enabling state agencies to ignore audits and red flags.

2. Scale and Nature of the Fraud

Timestamp: 06:50–09:40

• Reports from the New York Times:
  • Members of the Somali diaspora in Minnesota were “largely responsible” for multimillion-dollar fraud that directed state Medicaid money overseas, including to groups with terrorist links (specifically, Al Shabaab).
  • Nearly 100 autism clinics under investigation for fraudulent billing; the scale of fraud “far more widespread than previously reported.”
• Notable Quote from the NYT (shared by Ferguson):

  “It was like someone was stealing money from the cookie jar and they kept refilling it.”
  [08:32]

3. Political and National Security Implications

Timestamp: 09:40–11:20

• Political motivations:
  • The show claims Walz and state Democrats ignored the fraud due to their reliance on Somali votes, suggesting party politics trumped national security and ethics.
• Federal reaction:
  • House Majority Whip Tom Emmer called for an investigation into the flow of state funds to terrorist organizations.
  • Ongoing national attention as President Trump’s administration investigates and spotlights the case.

4. Media Coverage and Government Response

Timestamp: 10:26–11:58

• NBC’s Meet the Press confronted Walz but (according to Ferguson) allowed evasive answers:
  • Walz emphasized the state’s efforts to prosecute offenders, distanced the Somali community from collective blame, and redirected some criticism toward the Trump administration for “cutting inspector generals.”
• Notable Exchange:
  • Meet the Press: “Do you take responsibility for failing to stop this fraud in your state?” [10:26]
  • Gov. Tim Walz:

    “Well, certainly I take responsibility for putting people in jail. Governors don't get to just talk. Theoretically we have to solve problems. ... But to demonize an entire community on the actions of a few, it's lazy. ... If you're committing crimes... you're going to prison. ... That's Donald Trump. Deflect, demonize, come up with no solutions. He's not going to help fix anything on fraud. My God. There's a big difference between fraud and corruption. And corruption is something he knows about.”
    [10:59–11:58]

5. Host’s Take and Rhetorical Style

Timestamp: 12:16–14:32

• Ferguson returns to the scale of the fraud (“everyone knew”), political motives, and the need for Somali community votes.
• He describes the Democrats as “willing to look the other way while the fraud was happening because they thought it was worth it politically.”
  • “The Democratic Party has sold their soul to the Somali voting bloc in Minnesota. ... It was clearly a national security issue and an issue of just corruption in a community that the Democrats said, no, no, no, we need them, we need their votes.” [12:45]
• He warns, “Who will go to jail and will there be any accountability at all for any of those involved? That includes the governor in this investigation. We'll keep you updated….” [14:18]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Whistleblower Statement Read by Ferguson [07:16]:

  “We got the full weight of retaliation by Tim Walz, certain DFL members, and an indifferent mainstream media. It's scary, isolating, and left us wondering, who can we turn to?”

• NYT on State Failure to Act [08:32]:

  “It was like someone was stealing money from the cookie jar and they kept refilling it.”

• Governor Walz on Responsibility [10:59]:

  “Well, certainly I take responsibility for putting people in jail. ... But to demonize an entire community on the actions of a few, it's lazy.”

• Ferguson on Political Motivation [12:45]:

  “The Democratic Party has sold their soul to the Somali voting bloc in Minnesota. ... They were willing to look the other way while the fraud was happening because they thought it was worth it politically.”

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Key Timestamps for Reference

• Whistleblowers and initial exposure — [05:34–09:40]
• NYT and scale of the fraud revealed — [08:00–09:30]
• Media coverage and Walz interview — [10:26–11:59]
• Ferguson's analysis and closing remarks — [12:16–14:34]

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Tone and Approach

• Assertive, direct, and critical – particularly of Governor Walz and the Democratic Party.
• Heavy use of direct reading from whistleblower statements and media sources.
• Political framing with strong emphasis on accountability, security, and the ethical failures of state leadership.
• The episode is highly partisan, aiming to rally conservative listeners and underscore perceived corruption and media bias.

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For those who have not listened:
This episode provides a detailed, critical examination of the Medicaid fraud case in Minnesota, with attention to possible terrorist links, extensive whistleblower involvement, and political ramifications at both the state and national levels. The hosts’ tone is unapologetically conservative and combative, repeatedly accusing Governor Walz and Democrats of prioritizing electoral gains over public trust and safety.

Transcript

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[Ben Ferguson]

Good Tuesday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. We've got a major story for you, and that is the men and women in Minnesota's Department of health, more than 400 individuals are now becoming whistleblowers claiming that Governor Tim Waltz knew about fraud in its earliest stages and as hundreds of millions of dollars were disappearing and going to fund terrorist organization Al Shabaab. Now the Trump administration is investigating. But first, I want to tell you about our friends over Patriot Mobile. Every so often, something happens that reminds us just how fragile our freedoms are. We can't afford to take our rights for granted. We must draw a line in the sand. And our friends at Patriot Mobile have been doing just that for more than 12 years. The truth is there is only one provider that boldly stands in the gap for Americans who believe freedom is worth fighting for, and that company is Patriot Mobile. Not only are they leading the red economy, they're also outpacing the competition in technology. Patriot Mobile is one of the only carriers offering premium access to all three major US Networks, giving you nationwide coverage and service that you can count on day after day. They also offer unlimited data plans, mobile hotspots, international roaming, Internet backup, and so much more. And switching has never been easier. You can activate in minutes on your phone from your home or your office. And you keep your same number you've got now. Keep your same phone or upgrade to a new one. And this is where the magic happens. Every month, about 5% of your bill is given back to conservative causes at no extra cost to you that stand up for a first and our Second Amendment rights, the rights of unborn children and our wounded warriors and those that have fought for our country. And wear a badge. So take a stand today. Go to patriotmobile.com ben47 or call 972-patriot. And if you use the promo code Ben47, you're going to get a free month of service. That's patriotmobile.com Ben47 or 972 Patriot and make the switch today. It's the 47 Morning Update, and it starts right now.

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Story number one.

[Ben Ferguson]

Hundreds of Minnesota government workers have now accused the state's leftist radical governor, former VP Kenneth Tim Walls, of being responsible for for the biggest fraud case in the state's history. What is Tim Walt saying about it? Oh, well, he's saying Donald Trump is insane and he wants his MRI released, which the President did. Now, the statement came from over 400 individuals in the Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services employees. And the group claimed that it alerted Governor Tim Waltz, the Democrat in charge to the fraud in the early stages of its discovery. But he allegedly retaliated against the whistleblowers. The statement they put out said this Tim Waltz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota. We let Tim Waltz know a fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud. But no, we got the opposite response. Governor Waltz systematically retaliated against the whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports instead of partnership. We got the full weight of retaliation by Tim Waltz, certain DFL members, and an indifferent mainstream media. It's scary, isolating, and left us wondering, who can we turn to? In addition to retaliating against whistleblowers, Tim Waltz disempowered the Office of Legislative Auditor, allowing agencies to disregard their audit findings and their guidance. Media and politicians supporting Tim Waltz or the DFL agenda attacked the whistleblowers who are trying to raise red flags on the fraudulent activities. The New York Times even has a headline now that says, how fraud swamped Minnesota's social services system On Tim Waltz's watch. Prosecutors say members of the Somali diaspora, a group with growing political power, were largely responsible. President Trump has drawn national attention to the scandal amid his crackdown on immigration. Now, again, what I just read you is from the actual New York Times. Not only that, but a damning quote on Tim Walt's failure to stop the fraud consuming Minnesota. Quote, no one was doing anything about the red flags. It was like someone was stealing money from the cookie jar and they kept refilling it. That is again a line from the New York Times article. Now, Somalis in Minnesota allegedly took millions and millions and millions of dollars in state Medicaid autism care programs. We talked about this recently on this show. And then they sent it to their native country and its terrorist organizations. Again, something that you knew about weeks ago if you listen to this show. Breitbart News even report in July that nearly 100 autism clinics in Minnesota were being investigated for fraudulently billing Medicaid for treatment of children supposedly diagnosed with autism. Most of it in connection with the rampantly corrupt Somali community around Minneapolis. But the fraud is far more widespread with far more money involved than was previously reported. All of which has been something that the governor Tim Waltz knew about. The House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Republican from Minnesota has since called for an investigation to the millions of taxpayer dollars state taxpayer money literally going directly to a terrorist group linked to Al Qaeda known as Al Shabaab. Again something we expose on this show. And despite the evidence of fraud, state Democrats have continued to support the Somali community. Why? Because they need their votes. Now in its post on X on Saturday, the Minnesota DHS continued criticizing the governor stating quote, fundamentally Tim Waltz is dishonest, lacks ethics and integrity, has poor leadership abilities and has never taken any accountability for his role in this fraud where tax dollars went directly to terrorists. Which brings us to the media. Halfway covering this NBC News on Meet the Press had Tim Waltz on on Sunday. And I want you to listen to how softbally they were with him and how they let Tim Waltz in essence not answer the question and somehow go back to attacking Donald Trump when the fraud that has taken place in his state was helping terrorist organizations. Listen carefully.

[Podcast Host]

Well, speaking of the Somali community, President Trump is targeting them and your state. In part he's citing fraud as the reason for his crackdown. Dozens of people of East African descent have been charged, convicted and sentenced for stealing more than $1 billion in taxes payer money from government programs during COVID As you know Governor, that is more than Minnesota spends each year to run its Department of Corrections. So I want to give you a chance to respond to this. Do you take responsibility for failing to stop this fraud in your state?

[Governor Tim Waltz]

Well, certainly I take responsibility for putting people in jail. Governors don't get to just talk. Theoretically we have to solve problems. And I will note it's not just Somalis. Minnesota is a generous state. Minnesota is a prosperous state, a well run state where triple a bond rated but that that attracts criminals. Those people are going to jail. We're doing everything we can but to demonize an entire community on the actions of a few, it's lazy. And as you heard Senator Kelly say, this president has cut a lot of inspector generals. He's cut programs that could help us tackle this on so we are, we'll take it on. We'll put folks in jail. I don't care what your nationality is. I don't care your religion is your color. If you're committing crimes. These are programs that were meant to serve students with autism, to housing and to making sure people had enough to eat. There's a reason Minnesota ranks as the top, lowest childhood poverty, best place for children to live. People are taken advantage of, they're going to prison. That is totally disconnected with demonizing an entire group of people who came here fleeing civil war and created a vibrant community that makes Minnesota and this country better. But that's Donald Trump. Deflect, demonize, come up with no solutions. He's not going to help fix anything on fraud. My God. There's a big difference between fraud and corruption. And corruption is something he knows about.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, Governor, you notice she didn't interrupt him one time. She let him put out the lies and the propaganda. He talks about people getting arrested when he was the one allowing the money. And the whistleblowers were targeted. 400 workers have now come out against the governor. Why did he not act? It's very clear he needs the Somali votes. The Democratic Party has sold their soul to the Somali voting bloc in Minnesota. And it's a large voting block, make no mistake about it. And so he was willing to look the other way while the fraud was happening because he thought it was worth it politically. What's scary is that guy was very close to becoming the vice president, United States of America. And what's even more damning about what I just told you is the fact that they knew where the money was going. It was going to terrorists. The money was leaving the country. The number of students that had autism in Somali community was absolutely insane compared to the rest of the world. The statistics show that there was a huge fraud. Everyone knew that there was a huge fraud. More than 400 people that also, by the way, knew this was not a political thing. It was clearly a national security issue and an issue of just corruption in a community that the Democrats said, no, no, no, we need them, we need their votes. So here we are, Democrats saying, hey, we actually think somehow you're a bad person. Mr. President, you're unhinged. We demand your MRI. That's their response to corruption and fraud in Minnesota. Well, the president released it and says now it's your turn to answer questions. I'm just fine. The question now is, who will go to jail and will there be any accountability at all for any of those involved? That includes the governor in this investigation. We'll keep you updated on it. That I can promise you.

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