FILE PHOTO: U.S. Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz attend a press conference to discuss "anti-fraud initiatives" in the Indian Treaty Room at the White House complex in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 13, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
Vice President JD Vance announced Monday night he forwarded a criminal referral to the Justice Department regarding fraud allegations against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Vance released a statement on social media, saying, "I've referred these allegations to DOJ's new Fraud Division for criminal investigation."
"Minnesota state officials are not above the law, and if they facilitated fraud, lied under oath about what they knew, or harassed and intimidated whistleblowers, they must face justice."
The referral represents Vance's first major action as President Donald Trump's appointed Fraud Czar, a position dedicated to targeting alleged fraud in blue states.
The move aligns with the Trump administration's priority of addressing fraudulent claims, a focus that intensified following MAGA influencer Nick Shirley's controversial and unsustained investigation into Somali daycares in Minnesota.
Watch the video below.