On Thursday, January 8, Vice President Pence announced at a press conference held at the White House that the Trump administration will create a new position of Assistant Attorney General to investigate and prosecute fraudulent activities. This move comes as a direct response to allegations of fraud at daycare centers in Minnesota, which were accused of misusing federal funds originally intended to help low-income families.
Vice President Pence stated that the newly established Assistant Attorney General position will initially focus on Minnesota and then expand nationwide. “We know that such fraudulent activities are not only happening in Minneapolis but also in other states like Ohio and California,” Pence said. “To help coordinate this significant interdepartmental action by the Trump administration and ensure that we can swiftly and effectively bring wrongdoers to justice, we are establishing a new Assistant Attorney General position with jurisdiction over fraud issues nationwide.”
“Of course, this individual’s work will primarily focus on Minnesota at first, but unfortunately, American citizens nationwide are affected by fraud,” he added. According to the Vice President, the new position will have all the privileges, resources, and authority of a special prosecutor and will report directly to Pence and President Trump.
Pence also mentioned that he had spoken with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who promised to quickly confirm this appointment. The Vice President condemned the governance of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, accusing him of condoning fraud and even potentially being involved in it. The new Assistant Attorney General position will investigate the truth behind these allegations.
Pence further stated that Walz should resign because it is clear that he either knew about the fraud in Minneapolis or turned a blind eye to it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson in Minnesota disclosed in a press conference last month that out of a total of $18 billion in bills from 14 projects under the state’s health department since 2018, at least half or more might involve fraud.
Governor Walz responded by ordering a third-party audit on 14 services, including the closed Housing Stability Services project, to investigate further.