A resolution to forward articles of impeachment against Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison failed in the Minnesota House Rules and Administration Committee due to an 8-8 tie vote on Wednesday, according to reports.
All Republicans voted in favor, while all Democrats voted against the resolution. If the resolution had passed, it would have sent the impeachment articles to the House Fraud Committee for further investigation and potentially a vote on the House floor, KSTP reported.
“We do not have the power to arrest or prosecute for crimes, but Article 8 of the Minnesota Constitution gives the House quote sole power of impeachment,” said Rep. Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, House Rules and Administration Committee co-chair.
The impeachment resolution was introduced by Republican Representatives Mike Wiener of Long Prairie and Ben Davis of Merrifield, said the outlet. “The Walz administration turned a blind eye to countless whistleblower reports,” Wiener testified. “Employees who attempted to stop the fraud were marginalized or threatened.”
One whistleblower testified before the committee about her experiences at the Department of Human Services. The resolution against Ellison primarily focuses on a meeting he had in 2021 during the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation.
“The people of Minnesota deserve to know why their attorney general sat down with individuals tied directly to the Feeding our Future fraud network,” said Davis. Republicans allege that Ellison solicited campaign donations from individuals suspected of fraud. However, Ellison denies these claims.
Walz, who decided not to run for reelection after reports of widespread fraud in his state began to surface earlier this year, responded to the impeachment attempt at an event in Rochester.
“I would just encourage those legislators to get out of the basement of the Capitol where they are putting on a little play,” Walz said. “They know, and I know it’s more likely the sun will rise in the west than that will happen and go anywhere.”
Walz questioned why Republicans focus on an unlikely impeachment instead of important legislation during the last month of the session. “Talk about a waste of time. I’m gone in eight months. Just get over it and move on and do some work for your constituents that you were elected to do,” he said, per KSTP.
Niska denied that the impeachment attempt was a waste of time, telling the outlet: “Minnesotans really want us to have some accountability for the multi-billion-dollar fraud scandal.”
House Rules Committee Co-chair Rep. Jamie Long was asked whether he believes sufficient action has been taken to hold Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison accountable for the fraud that occurred during their tenure. Although the initial attempt to impeach Walz and Ellison was unsuccessful, supporters of the impeachment effort are seeking alternative ways to pursue the matter.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer accused Walz of “enabling fraud” and retaliating against whistleblowers during a high-stakes congressional hearing examining alleged abuse of federal welfare programs in the state last month.
Comer argued that Walz and Ellison were aware of significant fraud risks in state-administered federal programs years before acknowledging the scope of the problem publicly.
“While Governor Walz hesitated, taxpayers lost billions. Attorney General Ellison has likewise claimed his office was aggressively holding fraudsters accountable, but when his statements were tested against the record, they fell apart,” Comer is expected to say.
He also said the committee had interviewed more than 30 whistleblowers, including current state employees and Democrats, who claim they were ignored or punished for raising concerns.
“We have spoken with over thirty whistleblowers, many of them current employees and Democrats, who say they were ignored, retaliated against, and even surveilled for raising concerns,” Comer plans to state. “Instead of protecting the whistleblowers, the Walz administration protected the system that enabled fraud.”