Walz's 'exit interview' reflecting on his tenure sparks lawmaker debate about his legacy: 'Never serious'
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz reflected on his legacy in a recent interview and his comments sparked immediate pushback both online and from Republican lawmakers in the state who spoke to Fox News Digital.
"Fraud — should have stopped it sooner," Walz told the Minnesota Star-Tribune in a discussion that is being dubbed an "exit interview" with the headline "Walz accepts blame for fraud but says it shouldn’t define his legacy" as he prepares to leave office in January.
"We didn’t stop them. I accept that. I think there does need to be accountability with that. And part of it is that, yep, that’s with me, I’ll step aside."
Walz claimed the state "immediately" took action on the fraud and then went on to suggest the true cost of the fraud, estimated at $9 billion by federal prosecutors, has been overstated and claimed President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, expected to cost taxpayers around $300 million, was more expensive than the Minnesota fraud.
"I should have been down on those agencies a little more, but I will tell you this, in the scheme of things, all the fraud that's been prosecuted, by the way, and all the fraud that's probably out there is less than the ballroom at the White House," Walz said. "So it puts it into perspective. It doesn't make it right. Doesn't make it right."
The outgoing governor then explained his hope that people will remember his other accomplishments when talking about his legacy.
"Those are legacy things to address climate. They’re legacy things to address livability," Walz said. "And I get it, that fraud tainted a lot of that. It doesn’t change the fundamentals underneath it. This is the best state in the country to raise a child, and it will continue to be so because of those investments."
Three Republican lawmakers in Minnesota who spoke to Fox News Digital had a different take.
"Governor Walz is correct, he shouldn’t only be remembered for fraud," Minnesota state Sen. Julia Coleman told Fox News Digital. "We should remember him spending our $18 billion surplus, raising taxes $10 billion, creating an unsustainable budget, letting rioters burn down Minneapolis, hurting our students and businesses with lockdowns and pardoning a child rapist."
'WE HAVE NOT SLOWED DOWN': MINNESOTA NOT OUT OF THE WOODS ON MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL, EXPERT WARNS
Walz has faced fierce criticism for helping approve a full pardon for Tue Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted of repeatedly raping a girl beginning when she was 10. Critics argued the decision prioritized Vang’s immigration concerns and family ties over the severity of his crimes, with a DHS official calling it "disgusting."
Minnesota Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth is running to replace Walz in November as she heads into a matchup with Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar to be the state’s next top executive. Demuth told Fox News Digital Walz’s legacy won’t be able to overcome the fraud scandal and pointed to Klobuchar’s tight association with him.
"Tim Walz's legacy will always be defined by the out-of-control fraud crisis that occurred on his watch," Demuth said. "Yet Amy Klobuchar praised him as ‘an incredible leader who delivers for the people of Minnesota.’ As the senior member of our state’s congressional delegation, Sen. Klobuchar likewise failed to address the fraud crisis and even skipped hearings on the matter in D.C. Minnesotans deserve better than four more years of Walz-style failure."
Republican State Rep. Kristin Robbins chaired the last legislative session’s Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, and she told Fox News Digital that "no matter how hard he tries to spin it, Tim Walz’s legacy will be that he allowed rampant fraud."
"He says he ‘should have stopped it sooner,’ which is obvious, but he could still be doing more NOW," Robbins said. "He has been silent on fraud for months instead of taking the actions that are STILL under his control."
Robbins said Walz could have taken several steps to combat fraud, including firing senior DHS official Shireen Gandhi to send a message that abuse would not be tolerated, blocking Minnesota from seeking a SNAP waiver that allows applicants to attest to eligibility by phone without recording the call, and asking Attorney General Keith Ellison to prosecute Partners in Nutrition, a nonprofit that administered federally funded meal programs, rather than approve a settlement.
"His legacy will be fraud because he continues to enable fraud, despite two years of hearings, investigative journalists, and Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) reports," Robbins said. "He was never serious about stopping it and still isn’t."
Walz's comments not only drew scrutiny from Republican lawmakers but also sparked backlash on social media.
"Walz accepts blame for fraud, but believes his loss of $9 billion in taxpayer dollars 'shouldn't define his legacy,'" the X account for Minnesota House Republicans posted on X. "It does, and Minnesotans are paying attention to his blatant disregard of their hard-earned tax dollars."
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz's office for comment.