If you’re going to spike the football, you might want to make sure you actually scored the touchdown.
That’s the lesson Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz learned the hard way this week after trying to take a victory lap for a major federal fraud crackdown — only to get flattened by none other than FBI Director Kash Patel.
Walz jumped onto social media Tuesday, puffing up his administration’s role in a sweeping series of raids across Minneapolis, claiming state agencies “caught irregular behavior and reported it.” Sounds neat and tidy — except the guy actually running the show wasn’t having it.
“Come again?” Patel shot back.
“This FBI and DOJ with our DHS partners drafted and executed every search warrant today. But go ahead and take credit for our work while we smoke out the fraud plaguing Minnesota under your governorship.” Nice try, governor — but this wasn’t your show.
And that’s where the story gets awkward for Walz. Because this wasn’t some minor paperwork issue. Federal authorities executed 22 search warrants across more than 20 locations in Minneapolis, including childcare centers, as part of a sprawling fraud probe that critics say ballooned right under the governor’s nose.
The Department of Justice confirmed the operation was part of an “ongoing fraud investigation,” with federal, state, and local law enforcement involved — but make no mistake, the feds are driving the bus. That didn’t stop Walz from trying to hop into the driver’s seat.
Anyone paying attention — lit him up for what looked like a classic case of political credit-grabbing after the fact. The criticism wasn’t subtle.
One commentator branded him an “arsonist masquerading as a firefighter.” Another Republican strategist didn’t mince words, saying, “The main problem Tim Walz has now is that no one – Republican or Democrat – takes him seriously.”
Even lawmakers piled on, with Republicans on Capitol Hill pointing out the glaring contradiction: the same governor who recently dodged questions about billions in alleged fraud suddenly wants applause for cracking down on it.
“Sit this one out, Tim,” they advised.
That might be the most charitable take. Because this investigation didn’t appear overnight. The alleged fraud — reportedly involving millions (if not billions) tied to programs and businesses — has been festering for years. Critics argue it took federal muscle, public outrage, and relentless scrutiny to force real action.
And now that the cavalry has arrived, Walz wants to claim he rang the alarm bell? Even the city of Minneapolis seemed eager to distance itself, publicly noting it had no role in the raids.
