Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison brushed aside criticisms of his office’s handling of widespread fraud in Minnesota during a CNN interview this week, even as he acknowledged the state is grappling with criminal abuse of taxpayer programs.
Ellison appeared on CNN’s “Laura Coates Live,” where he was pressed on exploding fraud scandals across state agencies.
“Not that fraud is not a problem. Of course it’s a problem, and of course we have to prosecute it, and of course we have been prosecuting it,” Ellison said.
When asked if his office had done enough, he doubled down. “Of course we’ve done enough. And we’re doing more every single day,” he said. “This is a political matter. This is not a serious thing.”
Minnesota is now estimated to have seen more than $9 billion in suspected taxpayer fraud across multiple state programs since 2018.
DELUSIONAL: Minnesota AG Keith Ellison says he has done "enough" to stop the fraud in his state.
CNN: "Are you confident your office has done enough.
Ellison: "Of course we've done enough. And we're doing more every single day. This is a political matter. This is not a serious… pic.twitter.com/dGKNFngpDU
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 7, 2026
Ellison’s interview drew a surge of criticism online. On Wednesday morning, he took to X to accuse his critics of playing politics.
Listen, you’re going to hear a lot of bullshit from Republicans who would rather play politics than protect Minnesotans money.
The truth is, I am proud to hold the record as the most effective prosecutor of Medicaid and civil fraud. Despite Republican obstruction, my office has…
— Keith Ellison (@keithellison) January 7, 2026
In his CNN interview, Ellison claimed that his office has prosecuted and convicted more than 300 people for Medicaid fraud since becoming attorney general, and accused Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature of refusing to support more funding for his office’s Medicaid fraud unit.
“What they want is an issue. They don’t want to solve fraud,” he said.
Ellison and Feeding Our Future
Minnesota is still reeling from fallout from the Feeding Our Future scandal — the largest COVID-era fraud case in the country, with at least $250 million diverted away from hungry children.
In a leaked 2021 audio recording obtained by the Center of the American Experiment, Ellison is heard in a private meeting with East African business figures — some of whom later became defendants in the Feeding Our Future case.
In the recording, Ellison blasted state regulators for going after the Somali community and and said Gov. Tim Walz agreed with him.
“Walz agrees with me that this piddly, stupid stuff running small people out of business is terrible,” Ellison states.
He also assured the group he was on their side as they claimed they were being unfairly targeted because of race and national origin.
Within weeks, campaign dollars flowed to Ellison and his son from individuals connected to the meeting.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
