House Dem says its ‘racist’ to conduct federal probe into Minnesota fraud scandal

As House Democrats denounced a hearing into Minnesota’s sprawling fraud scandal as politically motivated, Rep. Dave Min, Democrat of California, went further, calling the investigation “partisan and racist.”

But in California, state auditors have repeatedly flagged major programs as being “at high risk” for waste and irregular payments, raising new questions about whether Min is rejecting scrutiny he wouldn’t want aimed at his own state.

During a legislative oversight hearing earlier this month on Minnesota’s fraud problems, Min said, “We haven’t seen any evidence of any type of fraud on the scale that we’re talking about” in California. Min added during the hearing that he was concerned about the ongoing fraud in Minnesota, which involved a significant portion of Somali immigrant perpetrators, but said he had problems with the investigation because it appeared Trump was only targeting Democratic-led states, and not Republican-led states as well.

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Rep. Dave Min, Democrat of California, called a federal oversight hearing into widespread fraud in Minnesota “partisan and racist,” leading some critics to denounce him for turning a blind eye to widespread fraud in his own state. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“I am concerned about this hearing as well as the recent actions of the Trump administration. It is difficult for me not to view this hearing in the context in which it is taking place and not view it as a partisan and racist hearing,” Min complained.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on these accusations from Min, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

“Democrats will do everything to distract attention from the fraud that may have occurred under their mandate, including by playing the race card,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer. “First, it’s not racist to call out criminal behavior. Second, I wonder what Rep. Min’s constituents have to say about him not taking fraud seriously while California taxpayers are also being fleeced blind to the tune of $72 billion.”

Representative Tom Emmer, Republican of Minnesota, during a television interview at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, U.S., Tuesday, September 30, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A report released last month by the California State Auditor’s Office found that several state agencies wasted or misused millions of dollars, following other audits showing billions were lost to waste, fraud and abuse in the state, according to California GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton.

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“It’s totally ridiculous,” Hilton told Fox News Digital of Min’s comments that there was no evidence of California fraud. “We have already seen reports from state auditors that have labeled tens of billions of dollars in inappropriate spending, starting with the audit of state spending on homelessness.”

California GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton applauded Congressman Dave Min (D-Calif.)’s assertion that there is no evidence to suggest widespread fraud in the state. (John Phillips/Getty Images for TechCrunch)

According to Hilton, criminal proceedings are pending in California regarding government spending on the homeless.

Meanwhile, seven California state agencies have been designated as “high risk” for fraud, waste and abuse by the State Auditor’s Office, while one additional agency has also been added to the regularly maintained list of vulnerable programs.

“Vulnerable Democrat Dave Min is more outraged by an oversight hearing than the billions in fraud hurting Americans in Minnesota and California,” said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Christian Martinez. “For Min, responsibility is not a principle, it is a problem.”

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Fox News Digital contacted Min for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.