“LOCK THEM UP!” Kennedy Explodes at Minnesota Leaders Over Staggering $1 Billion Fraud Scheme.
Kennedy Demands Accountability: “Lock Them Up!”—Senator Goes Nuclear Over Minnesota’s Billion-Dollar Welfare Fraud Scandal
Washington, D.C. — In a searing speech that sent shockwaves through the Senate chamber and reverberated across the nation, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) unleashed a blistering attack on Minnesota politicians and welfare administrators, demanding criminal prosecution for those involved in what he described as “one of the most disgusting frauds” ever perpetrated against the American taxpayer. Kennedy’s remarks, delivered with his trademark wit and candor, exposed the details of a billion-dollar welfare fraud scheme centered in Minnesota’s Somali community—and the political cowardice that, he argued, allowed it to flourish.
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An American Tradition of Generosity—And Its Betrayal
Kennedy began by praising the generosity of the American people, reminding his colleagues that “when you are hungry, we feed you. When you are homeless, we house you. When you’re too poor to be sick, we’ll pay for your doctor.” He noted that the U.S. spends trillions of dollars every year to help the less fortunate—money that comes directly from taxpayers’ pockets.
But that generosity, he warned, is not without limits. “That’s why I get so irritated—angry, really—when I find out that people take advantage of the American people’s generosity,” Kennedy declared. “It makes me want to knee someone in the groin. It just makes me furious, and I think the American taxpayers feel the same way.”
A Fraud So Shocking, “It’s Clown World on Steroids”
Kennedy recounted his reaction upon learning the details of the Minnesota fraud. “What I’m about to tell you is deeply disgusting. It is clown world on steroids,” he said. The Senator described reading the reports twice, barely able to believe what he was seeing: “I experienced slack-jawed astonishment… I just wanted to run away screaming.”
The fraud, Kennedy explained, was uncovered by federal prosecutors and had been ongoing for at least five years. The total: over $1 billion in taxpayer money stolen—“just stolen,” Kennedy emphasized. “They can call it fraud, but a better term would be stealing.”
Three Elaborate Schemes—And No Help for the Needy
Kennedy detailed three major schemes at the heart of the scandal, each more egregious than the last:
Feeding Our Future Scam:
- A nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, run by individuals of Somali ancestry, claimed to be feeding hungry children in the Minneapolis Somali community. They solicited federal funds through state welfare authorities, promising to set up feeding sites and distribute hot meals. The program ballooned from a few million dollars to $100 million per year. But, Kennedy revealed, “there were no hungry children. The businesses were spending the money on yachts, vacations, jewelry, and furniture for their homes.”
Homeless Housing Fraud:
- A second nonprofit, again founded by someone of Somali ancestry, claimed to provide housing for the homeless. Funding requests soared from $2.6 million in 2020 to $104 million per year. “None of the money was going for housing. These providers just put the money in their pocket,” Kennedy said.
Autism Program Kickbacks:
- The third scheme targeted autistic children. Providers, led by Asha Farban Hassan (also involved in the feeding scam), could not find enough autistic children to justify their funding requests. Instead, they bribed Somali parents—offering $400 to $1,500 per child—to certify them as autistic. The scam grew from $3 million in its first year to $400 million by 2023.
In total, Kennedy said, “these crooks stole $1 billion of taxpayer money.”
State Employees Sounded the Alarm—But Politicians Did Nothing
Kennedy was careful to distinguish between the “rank and file employees” of Minnesota’s welfare agencies and the politicians who oversaw them. He recounted how state employees became suspicious as claims skyrocketed and attempted to investigate. But when they confronted Feeding Our Future, they were met with threats: “If you stop giving us this money, we’re going to call you racist and sue you. You don’t want to be in the news.”
The threat worked. According to Kennedy, the Minnesota legislative auditor and fraud investigators confirmed that “the threat of litigation and negative press affected how the state politicians used their regulatory power.” The Somali community, a core voting bloc for Democrats in Minneapolis, was considered politically untouchable. As one fraud investigator put it, “forcefully tackling this issue would cause political backlash from the Somali community, which is a core voting block for Democrats.”
Whistleblowers Face Retaliation
Hundreds of state employees from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Kennedy said, posted a public statement: “Governor Tim Walz is 100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota… We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on… Instead of partnership, we got the full weight of retaliation by Tim Walz and an indifferent mainstream media. It’s scary, isolating, and left us wondering who we can turn to.”
Allegations of Terrorist Funding
Perhaps the most explosive allegation came from a report in the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal, which claimed that a portion of the stolen funds may have been funneled to the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab. “They are alleging that at least a portion of it went to a terrorist organization in Somalia… It’s an organization called Al-Shabaab. They hate Americans. They’re terrorists. They want to kill Americans and drink their blood out of the boot,” Kennedy said. He cautioned that the investigation is ongoing, but added, “the prosecutors are trying to get to the bottom of it.”
“It’s Not About Race—It’s About Crooks”
Anticipating accusations of racism, Kennedy was adamant: “Facts aren’t racist. Facts are facts. Everything I just gave you are facts, Mr. President. Has nothing to do with race. But it is a fact that these billion-dollar schemes were cooked up by leaders in the Somali community, in Minneapolis and Minnesota. And it is a fact that most of the businesses that participated in this fraud were run by people of Somali ancestry.”
He continued, “I’m not here to denigrate the Somali people or people of Somali ancestry just because of the actions of a few. But we ought not to ignore the facts.”
A Failure of Political Courage
Kennedy’s greatest ire was reserved for Minnesota’s political leadership. “The politicians did nothing,” he thundered. “Because they wanted votes, they allowed people in their state who were crooks to steal $1 billion from the American taxpayer—money that could have gone to people who really were homeless, children who really were hungry, and kids who really were autistic.”
Kennedy concluded, “These people ought to all be put in jail—including the politicians.”
A Nation in Need of Reform
Pivoting from the scandal, Kennedy addressed broader economic anxieties facing American families: inflation, the rising cost of living, and stagnant wages. He called for bipartisan action on tax and regulatory reform, and a healthcare system “that looks like somebody designed the damn thing on purpose.” He urged his colleagues to focus on real solutions for working Americans.
“Justice Is Not Racist—It’s Necessary”
Kennedy’s speech ended with a call for the truth, regardless of political correctness. “The American people need to know the truth. A lot of members of the media won’t report this. They say you can’t talk about it because it’s racist. This has nothing to do with race. Everything I said is factual. What’s racist about facts?”
The Fallout: Will Justice Be Served?
As the investigation continues, Kennedy’s fiery words have put renewed pressure on Minnesota’s political establishment and federal prosecutors to hold all perpetrators accountable—no matter their status or connections. For the taxpayers who footed the bill, and for the vulnerable citizens the programs were meant to help, the demand is clear: justice must be served.
IT ALL CAME OUT' – GAVIN NEWSOM BLOWS UP AFTER BEING EXPOSED LIVE ON AIR
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the 2028 presidential election cycle rapidly approaches, life is getting increasingly complicated for California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The ambitious Democrat, widely expected to declare his candidacy for his party's highest nomination, is currently drowning in a massive, rapidly expanding ethics scandal centered on hundreds of millions of dollars in questionable corporate donations. As federal investigators continue to circle both the governor and his wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the sheer scale of his fundraising tactics is raising serious alarm bells across the political spectrum.
At the absolute center of this controversy is Newsom’s unprecedented and unapologetic use of "behested payments"—a controversial practice in California law that allows elected officials to personally solicit massive, unlimited donations from deep-pocketed corporations, wealthy individuals, and labor unions to fund specific charities or government initiatives.
While technically legal under the state's highly permissive rules, government watchdogs and ethics experts are fiercely arguing that these payments represent a glaring, dangerous loophole. It essentially allows special interests—many of whom have active, highly lucrative business before the state of California—to gain massive political influence and curry favor with the governor, entirely outside the strict boundaries of traditional campaign finance laws.
The $347 Million Man
According to official California disclosure records, the scale at which Newsom utilizes this loophole is utterly staggering. Since 2011, Newsom has reported soliciting more than $347 million in behested payments.
To put that massive figure into perspective, data from the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) reveals that all elected officials statewide combined directed roughly $556 million in behested payments between 2011 and 2026. Newsom alone accounted for nearly two-thirds—a whopping 62%—of that total.
By stark contrast, his predecessor, former Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, reportedly solicited a relatively modest $35 million in behested payments during his entire tenure.
"Behested payments are ripe for abuse," warned Sean McMorris of California Common Cause, pointing out the obvious ethical minefield created when powerful elected officials lean on organizations that have direct business before the government.
The Optics of Influence Peddling
The ethical concerns are not just hypothetical; they are rooted in a pattern of massive corporate donations followed by highly favorable state actions.
Public reports have raised serious questions about several major donors who opened their checkbooks at Newsom's behest and later benefited immensely from state contracts or policy decisions. For example, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare giant Blue Shield donated a staggering $20 million to initiatives heavily supported by Newsom. Shortly thereafter, the corporation was miraculously awarded a highly lucrative, no-bid state contract related to vaccine distribution.
Similarly, the Kaiser Foundation contributed nearly $10 million before securing a significantly expanded role in California’s massive Medi-Cal program. In another instance, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria donated millions to organizations associated with the governor and his wife’s initiatives. Later, they benefited significantly from favorable state decisions involving tribal gaming matters, including efforts to block a rival casino from opening nearby.
While proving an explicit, legal quid pro quo is notoriously difficult, critics argue that the actual transaction is irrelevant. The concern is that the system inherently encourages and rewards a "pay-to-play" culture. Assemblyman David Tangipa slammed the practice, describing behested payments as a blatant form of "political influence peddling," boldly arguing that just because the system is legal does not mean it isn't deeply corrupt.
The Family Business and Federal Heat
The issue has drawn even fiercer scrutiny because millions of these corporate dollars have been funneled directly into organizations tightly linked to the governor’s inner circle. Approximately $4.8 million in behested donations were routed to the California Partners Project, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. For many critics, corporate money flowing into a charity run by the governor's wife creates, at the very least, a glaring appearance of a massive conflict of interest.
The intense debate over this influence-peddling loophole comes at a highly precarious time for the governor. Newsom recently acknowledged that both he and his wife are currently the subjects of multiple, ongoing federal investigations. While neither has been charged with any wrongdoing, and the Department of Justice has remained completely tight-lipped about the exact nature of the inquiries, the specter of a federal probe casts a dark cloud over his 2028 presidential ambitions.
A "Laughable Slap on the Wrist"
Adding insult to injury for government transparency advocates, Newsom recently agreed to pay a $31,500 ethics fine handed down by the state's campaign finance watchdog, the FPPC. The fine was levied after the commission found that Newsom flagrantly failed to legally report 36 separate behested payments—totaling more than $5.6 million—within the required 30-day timeframe.
The late disclosures involved massive corporate donations solicited during the 2024 and 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, pulling in vast sums from corporate titans like BlackRock, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and Anthem Blue Cross. While Newsom's office brushed off the violation as a mere paperwork oversight during an emergency, critics blasted the $31,500 penalty as a "laughable slap on the wrist" for a wealthy politician manipulating a quarter-billion-dollar shadow fundraising system. This marks the second time Newsom has been fined for late reporting of these payments, having previously paid a $13,000 fine in 2024.
Supporters of the governor are quick to point out that these behested donations have funded critical public initiatives, including wildfire relief and charitable causes. However, the public benefit of those projects does absolutely nothing to eliminate the massive concerns surrounding transparency, corporate influence, and the ability of powerful special interests to funnel unlimited cash into causes promoted by the state's most powerful executive.
As Newsom attempts to position himself as the future of the Democratic Party, the growing scandal surrounding his $347 million loophole is forcing a national reckoning. The American people are left to wonder: if this is how Gavin Newsom runs California, how exactly would he run the country?
