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FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is speaking out over mounting questions from critics about her possible connection to the massive Feeding Our Future fraud scandal in Minnesota and suggested the Trump administration bears responsibility.
“Any claim that I had knowledge of this scheme is flat-out false,” the Minnesota congresswoman said in a written statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
“The MEALS Act was signed into law by President Trump and passed with bipartisan support as part of a broader legislative package. Trump’s USDA Secretary set the regulatory framework during the rollout of the program. I have always championed feeding kids and will continue to ensure our children do not go hungry.”
Omar went on to say that the “moment this fraud came to light” she “immediately sent a letter to the USDA Secretary demanding answers and accountability.”
ILHAN OMAR PRESSED TO EXPLAIN HOW FRAUD IN MINNESOTA GOT ‘SO OUT OF CONTROL’
“As I stated from the beginning, stealing millions of dollars under the guise of feeding hungry children to bankroll lavish lifestyles and extravagant expenses is reprehensible,” Omar said. “I’m grateful that Aimee Bock and every individual involved in this abhorrent scheme are being held accountable for defrauding taxpayers and betraying vulnerable children.”
Omar’s comment comes after she faced mounting pressure to explain her knowledge of and connections to the scandal that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee invited Omar to testify about what she knew but says she never responded, which prompted an effort to subpoena information from her. That effort was blocked by Democrats on the committee.
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Just last week, the committee released its final report that accused Gov. Tim Walz’s administration of fostering a “culture of tolerance” that allowed fraudsters to steal billions in taxpayer dollars overall.
The report offered a strong critique of Omar, asserting that her MEALS Act, implemented into the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, “took the guardrails off” federal nutrition programs by allowing for-profit restaurants to participate and permitting “grab-and-go” flexibilities that made it nearly impossible to verify if children were actually being fed by the Feeding Our Future program.
The committee’s Republican chair, state Rep. Kristin Robbins, has suggested that Congress should take action to enforce the subpoena and get more answers about questions related to Omar’s alleged association with convicted fraudsters, her public promotion of a Minneapolis restaurant that later became linked to the program, along with communication and meeting records with the Minnesota Department of Education and constituents.
“She only sent a letter once the fraud was exposed,” Robbins told Fox News Digital in response to Omar’s statement.
“Prior to that, she sent letters urging the administration to keep the waivers in place — allowing the fraud to continue. Sounds like revisionist history. I don’t buy it at all.”
Earlier this month, Fox News Digital reported that a former Omar staffer sent an email to the committee also pointing to Trump’s USDA during his first term and downplaying the potential negative impact of Omar’s MEALS Act legislation.
“The reality is simple: Minnesota officials had warnings, complaints, and evidence for months – what MN staff described as an ‘open secret’ – yet failed to stop one of the largest COVID fraud schemes in history,” a USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital after publication. “USDA’s Office of Inspector General helped investigate and arrest dozens involved in the scheme. Regulations do not force states to ignore fraud, and do not absolve them from doing the right thing. Blaming federal rules after the fact does not erase Minnesota’s failure to act while taxpayers were defrauded of hundreds of millions of dollars meant to feed hungry children.”
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