Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) appeared on Fox Business Network’s Varney & Co. on Thursday, where he leveled accusations against Minnesota’s state leadership and fired back at recent comments made by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The Florida Congressman focused heavily on the investigation into fraud allegations in Minnesota. He told the host that the House Oversight Committee is looking closely at Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison. Donalds claimed that top officials were not just aware of the fraud, but actively got in the way of those trying to stop it.
“We are still going through our investigations in the Oversight Committee about the complicity of Governor Walz and the Attorney General Keith Ellison with allowing this fraud to continue,” Donalds said.
READ: Minnesota Lawmaker Says Deadly Shooting Was “Completely Avoidable” And Blames Walz
He went on to describe a hostile environment for state workers who tried to speak up. According to Donalds, whistleblowers faced serious threats to their livelihoods.
“We know that they knew about it. What we also know, from whistleblower testimony, that they were essentially being derailed in their investigations; they were being stonewalled,” Donalds stated. “Employees in the state of Minnesota were being blacklisted and threatened with their future careers if they continued to try to uncover the fraud, and that came from the top of the Walz administration.”
The conversation then shifted to Washington politics and recent remarks regarding the Department of Homeland Security by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
On CNN Wednesday, Jeffries claimed, “Taxpayer dollars are actually being used by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to kill American citizens,” calling DHS a “killing machine.”
Donalds rejected Jeffries’ stance and argued that Democrats are using inflammatory rhetoric to distract voters from a lack of policy results.
“Hakeem Jeffries is disgusting for what he just said,” Donalds told Varney. “He’s doing this for political purposes, and let’s be clear, because the Democrats have no policy that’s going to improve the lives of the American people. So now they have to make stuff up and do this.”
Donalds suggested that the rhetoric from Democratic leadership is intentional. He argued that instead of trying to calm the public, his political opponents want to see unrest.
READ: ‘I Said There Would Be Bloodshed’: Border Czar Tom Homan Takes Charge In Minneapolis
“It is clear that Democrat leadership are not only antagonizing Americans, they want these agitated protests in Minneapolis,” Donalds said. “That’s what they want. They want these videos all over social media. They don’t want to take the temperature down. They want to ratchet the temperature up.”
The Congressman noted that the investigation into the Minnesota case is ongoing as the committee continues to review testimony regarding the state’s handling of the funds.
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