Ryan Wilson is running for state auditor in Minnesota. In a recent interview with Alpha News, he suggested Democrats have failed to audit their own.
“The value of an audit is knowing an audit could come. If you know you might be audited, you’re less likely to cheat, to steal, to try to defraud the government because somebody is watching,” Wilson explained. He said that under the current Democratic auditor, Julie Blaha, some sections of the government don’t need to fear an audit.
In choosing who to investigate, Wilson accused Blaha of holding “a concern of what she might find, and if [she] finds something that might look negative on her peers or the school district, that doesn’t support DFL policies.”
“The issue is, it’s not where you audit or who you audit — it’s who you don’t audit,” he told Alpha News, responding to a question about what he thinks are the weaknesses of the current auditor. “The issue isn’t in the audits,” he continued, saying the audits that are carried out are done honestly. “The issue is where they’re being deployed.”
Wilson also said that he’ll introduce performance audits if he’s elected, going one step further to make sure money is being spent honestly and effectively. “We need to bring the office back to where we’re doing more of these special investigations [and] performance audits,” he told Alpha News.
He said the taxpayer deserves to know “where is that money going, what kind of accountability is there [and] what kind of standards are there” but that “the current state auditor isn’t answering those types of questions.”
Finally, Wilson emphasized his history in auditing, running a private firm. He said he has no political ambition other than continuing to work as an auditor.
“A lot of people use it as a placeholder role, as a stepping stone — and Julie has talked a couple times, alluding to running for governor,” he said.
