‘Buck’ stops at Walz: Flanagan ducks Minnesota fraud blame as GOP rival exposes glaring contradiction
Michele Tafoya, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Minnesota and a former broadcaster, aggressively sought to put her opponent, Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, on the defensive during a debate Friday afternoon over the billion-dollar fraud schemes that drew national attention to the state earlier this year.
Early in the debate, Tafoya pressed Flanagan on her qualifications for federal office, pointing to her record as lieutenant governor.
"My opponent has been second in command in this state for eight years, drawing a taxpayer-funded paycheck. And what do we have to show for that? We have massive fraud, historic fraud. We have test scores down. We have crime spiking. We have a massive surplus turned into a deficit," Tafoya said.
"This election is about Peggy Flanagan."
Local and federal investigators have uncovered myriad fraud schemes involving daycare centers, food programs, health clinics and other operations accused of defrauding the state of up to $9 billion. Investigators say fraudsters either inflated the number of people they allegedly helped or fabricated their services altogether — all while receiving government dollars.
When the issue resurfaced later in the debate, the moderator asked Flanagan directly whether, in her view, she had "any ownership over the fraud."
Flanagan sought to distance herself from the issue, pointing to Walz's acknowledgment that responsibility for oversight rested with him.
"The governor has been very clear that the buck stops with him," Flanagan said.
"He was the one who had oversight here. I've led on issues like paid family and medical leave, nation-leading child tax credit, making sure that kids get breakfast and lunch at school. Those are the things and those are the areas where I took the lead."
When Flanagan then redirected the conversation to criticism of President Donald Trump, Tafoya went on the attack.
"Peggy, Donald Trump isn't on the ballot. You and I are on the ballot, and only one of us let $9 billion walk out the door to fraud to suggest that we that she somehow is going to be a fraud czar all of a sudden," Tafoya said.
"My goodness, she was second in charge in this state, and she's just going to point her finger at Gov. Tim Walz when she demanded to be in the room where everything happened. But, suddenly, she has nothing to do with this. Again, sell it to someone else," she added.
Flanagan has served as Minnesota's lieutenant governor for nearly eight years, taking office in 2019. By the time Walz announced that he would not run for re-election as governor amid political scrutiny for the fraud, Flanagan had already announced her bid for U.S. Senate.
Responding to Tafoya, Flanagan doubled down on her criticism of Trump, noting that the president had recently endorsed Tafoya.
"Donald Trump doesn't just endorse anybody. In fact, he endorses against people in his own party if they dare to take him on. Michele Tafoya passed his litmus test with flying colors," Flanagan said.
Tafoya then laid out her own proposals for combating fraud, including tougher consequences for noncitizens who defraud Americans.
"No. 1, if you're a guest of this country, and you defraud Americans, you must leave. You must leave, and you should have no pathway back," she said.
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"No. 2, if you're an American and you defraud your fellow Americans, we should be talking about mandatory prison minimums. Tough sentences, not an easygoing slap on the wrist.
"And No. 3, if you're a state like Minnesota who cannot keep your financial house in order, why would the federal government release billions and billions of dollars to you, only to see it go to fraud?"
After securing their respective parties’ nominations earlier this year, Flanagan and Tafoya will face off in the state’s Nov. 3 general election.