Education Secretary Linda McMahon has dropped a bombshell, calling for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to resign amid a staggering education fraud scandal that’s bled taxpayers dry.
McMahon, in a searing letter sent Monday, accused Walz of gross negligence during his tenure since 2019, alleging his lax oversight has turned Minnesota’s college system into a magnet for fraudsters worldwide, particularly from Somalia, Breitbart News reported.
Her letter lays out a grim picture, revealing 1,834 so-called “ghost students” who pocketed $12.5 million in taxpayer-funded grants and loans without ever setting foot in a classroom. This isn’t just a clerical error; it’s a calculated heist on the backs of hardworking Americans.
McMahon’s letter didn’t mince words, stating, “We call these fraudsters ‘ghost students’ because they were not ID-verified and often did not live in the United States, or they simply did not exist.” That’s a damning indictment of a system so broken it’s handing out cash to phantoms while real students struggle.
The scale of the scam is jaw-dropping, with fraudsters splitting the loot with complicit colleges and walking away with the lion’s share. Minnesota, under Walz’s watch, has become a playground for those gaming federal aid meant for the next generation.
To counter this, the Department of Education rolled out tougher fraud controls, including mandatory identity checks for certain applicants. Their new system has already blocked over $1 billion in attempted theft by international rings and even AI bots posing as students.
McMahon also took aim at Rep. Ilhan Omar, pointing out her push for blanket student debt cancellation while admitting it would directly benefit her own finances. Such self-serving advocacy, while sitting on a hefty taxpayer-funded salary, raises eyebrows about whose interests are truly being served.
The hypocrisy stings when you consider the average family scraping by, unable to dodge their own bills with a press conference. This kind of political maneuvering only deepens distrust in a system already failing at its core mission.
Meanwhile, a Change.org petition demanding the resignations of Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Secretary of State Steve Simon has gained traction with nearly 4,500 signatures. The public’s frustration is palpable, with the petition declaring a need for leadership that can actually deliver results.
On Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a Geographic Targeting Order to tighten reporting requirements for certain Money Services Businesses. This move comes amid troubling reports that Minnesota taxpayer funds might have been funneled to the terrorist group Al-Shabaab through the state’s Somali community.
Bessent emphasized the urgency, posting on X that this tool will ensure swift reporting of illicit activity to FinCEN and law enforcement. It’s a necessary step to clamp down on potential misuse of public money, though questions linger about how deep the damage goes.
The Department of Labor has also jumped into the fray, launching a review of Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance program after reports of a separate fraud ring targeting welfare systems. Clearly, the state’s oversight issues stretch far beyond just education.
McMahon’s call for Walz to step aside isn’t just a political jab; it’s a demand for accountability when trust has been shattered. Her letter bluntly states that his “dereliction of the office entrusted” to him warrants making way for someone who can clean up this mess.
The numbers speak for themselves: millions lost to fraud, ghost students running rampant, and now whispers of funds reaching terrorist hands. Minnesotans deserve leaders who guard their resources, not ones who let the vault door swing wide open.
As federal agencies tighten the screws and citizens voice their anger through petitions, the pressure is on for Walz to answer for this debacle. If leadership means taking responsibility, then the path forward seems clear, even if some in St. Paul would rather dodge the reckoning.
