Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent did not hold back during a Sunday appearance on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation.’
He absolutely schooled host Margaret Brennan on the Somalian fraud scheme in Minnesota — which, by the way, is currently being investigated for links to terrorism.
Bessent spoke very bluntly,
“When you come to this country, you gotta learn which side of the road to drive on, you gotta learn to stop at the stop signs, and you gotta learn not to defraud the American people!”
Watch here:
Backup here if needed:
.@SecScottBessent on the massive Somali fraud scandal in Minnesota: “When you come to this country, you gotta learn which side of the road to drive on, you gotta learn to stop at the stop signs, and you gotta learn not to defraud the American people.” pic.twitter.com/SKvnANw0Ty
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 7, 2025
Amen, Secretary Bessent!
This shouldn’t be something controversial.
It’s called following the law.
If you can’t do that, then back to your home country, you go!
Simple as.
The fact that Somalians in Minnesota de-frauded Americans out of $1 billion+ is, frankly, astonishing.
Earlier this week, Bessent announced that he has ordered an investigation into exactly where all that money went.
Specifically, if it was used to fund a terrorist organization, as some reports are indicating.
He posted on X:
At my direction, @USTreasury is investigating allegations that under the feckless mismanagement of the Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz, hardworking Minnesotans’ tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.
Thanks to the leadership of… https://t.co/uillMknuXL
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) December 1, 2025
At my direction, @USTreasury
is investigating allegations that under the feckless mismanagement of the Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz, hardworking Minnesotans’ tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.Thanks to the leadership of @POTUS
@realDonaldTrump
, we are acting fast to ensure Americans’ taxes are not funding acts of global terror.We will share our findings as our investigation continues.
CBS News has more details on that probe:
The Treasury secretary shared a Nov. 19 report in the conservative publication City Journal that alleged millions of dollars from Minnesota state welfare programs had “ultimately landed in the hands of the terror group Al-Shabaab,” citing law enforcement sources. Several Minnesota Republicans, including Rep. Tom Emmer, pushed federal prosecutors to look into the allegations.
Walz’s office pointed CBS News to remarks last week in which the governor said he welcomes an investigation into where defrauded welfare money went and would work with investigators.
Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, released an excerpt from a letter he sent Walz, saying the Oversight Committee “has serious concerns about how you as the Governor, and the Democrat-controlled administration, allowed millions of dollars to be stolen,” and requesting “documents and communications showing what your administration knew about this fraud and whether you took action to limit or halt the investigation.”
Minnesota has been racked by allegations of large-scale fraud in the state’s public assistance programs. Dozens of people have been charged in a $250 million scheme involving the nonprofit group Feeding Our Future and its partners, which federal prosecutors say stole federal nutrition aid by falsely claiming to help distribute meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials have also brought fraud charges involving housing aid and autism programs in the state.