Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey admits fraud crisis is real, says ‘everybody could have done more’ to prevent it

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey faced pointed questions Sunday over massive fraud in Minnesota government programs but appeared to dodge direct criticism of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz when pressed on whether more should have been done to prevent it.

“Dozens of people in Minnesota have been charged and convicted with stealing millions of dollars of taxpayer money for government programs. Do you think Gov. [Tim] Walz did enough to stop the fraud in your state?” NBC News’ Kristen Welker asked on “Meet the Press.”

Frey responded by crediting Walz for initiatives such as free school lunches and other social programs, prompting Welker to press him further.

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“Obviously, everybody could have done more to prevent fraud,” Frey responded.

“I think that’s a fair point to make. You do more to prevent fraud. And look what he’s doing right now,” Frey said of Walz. 

“He’s setting up a whole bunch of infrastructure to do that. And by the way, the fraud’s real. We’ve all got to acknowledge it,” he added.

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The exchange comes as Minnesota Democrats face scrutiny over fraud involving state-run programs, with dozens of convictions tied to schemes that siphoned taxpayer dollars intended for social programs and other aid.

Republicans have argued that state leaders ignored warning signs for years, while some Democrats, including Walz, have characterized some federal actions as political attacks or argued that fraud estimations have been overblown for partisan gain.

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At the same time, Democrats say safeguards have since been strengthened and investigations expanded.

Walz, for instance, recently ordered a third-party audit of Medicaid billing through Minnesota’s Department of Human Services and paused payments for some services while an audit is underway, according to FOX 9 in St. Paul.

A spokesperson for Walz recently released a statement addressing the swath of allegations plaguing the state, saying, “The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and asked the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action. He has strengthened oversight.” 

Walz also publicly acknowledged the fraud crisis, saying the situation “is on my watch” and that he is “accountable” for fixing it, even as his administration has questioned some federal estimates regarding the massive scale of the fraud.