{"id":45211,"date":"2026-08-14T21:37:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T16:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=45211"},"modified":"2026-08-14T21:37:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T16:37:51","slug":"peggy-flanagan-deflects-minnesota-fraud-blame-toward-gov-tim-walz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=45211","title":{"rendered":"Peggy Flanagan deflects Minnesota fraud blame toward Gov. Tim Walz"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Minnesota Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan pointed the finger at Gov. <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6591165\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/tim-walz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tim Walz<\/a> when asked during a recent interview about her responsibility for the massive fraud scandal that unfolded under their watch.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">&#8220;I would say, the governor says the buck stops with him, more should have been done sooner, and I agree,&#8221; Flanagan said on MSNOW on Thursday when asked if she bears any responsibility for the scandal, which federal investigators have said could total more than $9 billion.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Flanagan, who is the Democratic nominee for Senate in <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6591166\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/midwest\/minnesota\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minnesota<\/a>, continued, &#8220;And now we know that 100 people have been charged, 60 have been convicted.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Flanagan\u2019s comments sparked pushback on social media from users accusing her of deflecting responsibility given she has served alongside Walz as his second in command since 2019.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6591167\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/peggy-flanagan-minnesotas-no-2-official-massive-fraud-scandal-exploded-under-states-watch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>PEGGY FLANAGAN WAS MINNESOTA&#8217;S NO 2 OFFICIAL AS MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL EXPLODED UNDER STATE&#8217;S WATCH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/peggy-walz.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/peggy-walz.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/peggy-walz.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/peggy-walz.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/peggy-walz.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/peggy-walz.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/peggy-walz.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/peggy-walz.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/peggy-walz.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Flanagan and Walz\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Peggy Flanagan distances herself from Gov. Tim Walz over Minnesota fraud, saying more should have been done sooner on MS NOW\u2019s &#8220;Morning Joe.&#8221;<\/span> <span>(Stephen Maturen\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Minnesota Democrat Peggy Flanagan blames Tim Walz and dodges accountability for rampant fraud in her state,&#8221; the Republican National Committee (RNC) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RNCResearch\/status\/2087926646544187429?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">posted on X.<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;She KNOWS she&#8217;s vulnerable on this,&#8221; conservative radio host and editor Larry O\u2019Connor <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LarryOConnor\/status\/2087932187991818621?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">posted on X<\/a>. &#8220;Huge opening for @Michele_Tafoya.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, Flanagan\u2019s Republican opponent in November, also reacted to the clip in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Michele_Tafoya\/status\/2087992257320259873?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">post on X<\/a> saying, &#8220;Peggy Flanagan refuses to take any responsibility and accountability for billions of our tax dollars being stolen under her watch as lieutenant governor.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6591171\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/outkick-sports\/hall-famer-tony-dungy-endorses-michele-tafoya-crowded-minnesota-republican-primary-us-senate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>HALL OF FAMER TONY DUNGY ENDORSES MICHELE TAFOYA IN CROWDED MINNESOTA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FOR U.S. SENATE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/peggy-flanagan-fraud-tafoya.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/peggy-flanagan-fraud-tafoya.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/peggy-flanagan-fraud-tafoya.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/peggy-flanagan-fraud-tafoya.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/peggy-flanagan-fraud-tafoya.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/peggy-flanagan-fraud-tafoya.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/peggy-flanagan-fraud-tafoya.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/peggy-flanagan-fraud-tafoya.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/peggy-flanagan-fraud-tafoya.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Minnesota&#8217;s Democratic Senate nominee Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is riding the progressive wave this midterm election cycle, but before handing moderates a resounding defeat, she had a front row seat in the sprawling fraud scandal in her home state.\u00a0<\/span> <span>(Stephen Maturen\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Minnesotans deserve better than excuses. They deserve leaders who will take responsibility and get the job done.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Townhall columnist Dustin Grage <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GrageDustin\/status\/2087954966547767620?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">posted on X<\/a>, &#8220;Here is Peggy Flanagan blaming Tim Walz for the fraud. Oh yeah, she knows she\u2019s cooked if she rightfully gets tied to the fraud.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The fraud scandal in Minnesota ultimately pushed Walz to drop his bid for re-election, and critics have continued to hammer his administration for not doing enough to prevent the growing fraud problem, which had become an <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_6591173\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/how-fears-of-being-labeled-racist-helped-provide-cover-for-the-exploding-minnesota-fraud-scandal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">open secret in the state over the past few years.<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Flanagan&#8217;s culpability in the fraud scandal will likely become a major talking point in her campaign for Senate as calls from conservatives for more accountability continue to pour in as no top officials have been fired or removed from office in the scandal&#8217;s aftermath.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;@peggyflanagan did NOTHING to protect vulnerable citizens &amp; taxpayers despite countless whistleblower reports, Auditor reports, &amp; criminal convictions,&#8221; Minnesota Republican State Rep. Kristin Robbins, who chaired the Minnesota House\u2019s Fraud Prevention and Oversight Committee <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KRobbinsMN\/status\/2088061594034921598?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">posted on X<\/a> this week.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Peggy Flanagan, @Tim_Walz &amp; @keithellison protected their political base instead of stopping the fraud.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/tim-walz-house-oversight-hearing.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/tim-walz-house-oversight-hearing.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/tim-walz-house-oversight-hearing.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/tim-walz-house-oversight-hearing.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/931\/523\/tim-walz-house-oversight-hearing.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1862\/1046\/tim-walz-house-oversight-hearing.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/720\/405\/tim-walz-house-oversight-hearing.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1440\/810\/tim-walz-house-oversight-hearing.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/tim-walz-house-oversight-hearing.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2026. The committee held the hearing to examine the alleged misuse of federal funds intended for Minnesota social services and Medicaid programs.<\/span> <span>(Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Flanagan did not mention fraud during her victory speech following Tuesday night&#8217;s Senate primary, which also <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Michele_Tafoya\/status\/2087595375632789940?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">drew criticism<\/a> from Tafoya on social media.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Fox News Digital reached out to the Flanagan campaign for comment.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Minnesota Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan pointed the finger at Gov. Tim Walz when asked during a recent interview about her responsibility for the massive fraud scandal that unfolded under their watch. &#8220;I would say, the governor says the buck stops with him, more should have been&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/peggy-walz.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}