Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz did not appear Tuesday before the state House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, which is investigating a massive fraud scandal involving billions of dollars in stolen taxpayer funds.
State Rep. Kristin Robbins, the committee chair, told Fox News Digital that she believes Walz was inside the Minnesota State Capitol building at the time of the hearing but chose not to attend. The governor delivered his final State of the State address later that evening in the same building.
"I think he just feels above it all and doesn't need to answer to the people of Minnesota," Robbins said. "The only reason he testified in D.C. is because he was under subpoena. And, you know, he doesn't have to come to our committee."
Robbins said her committee sent a request on March 9 asking Walz to testify at one of several hearings scheduled this week. According to Robbins, the governor's office informed the committee at 6 p.m. Monday that he would not be attending Tuesday's hearing.
"I cannot defend his arrogance that he would not come and answer questions for the historic, unprecedented level of fraud in our state and in the country," Robbins told Fox News Digital.
What the Left Is Saying
Walz did not provide comment to Fox News Digital regarding his absence from the hearing. In his State of the State address Tuesday night, Walz addressed the fraud scandal by saying "the buck stops with me" before arguing that red states have more fraud than blue states and calling on the legislature to adopt his administration's proposals.
"We've created additional checks and balances," Walz said during the speech. "We've brought on more investigators, more auditors, more law enforcement agencies, as well as an outside firm to take a look at high-risk programs. People who have ripped us off are getting caught and they are going to jail."
The governor's office was contacted for this article but did not provide additional response beyond declining to comment.
What the Right Is Saying
Robbins dismissed Walz's remarks during the State of the State address as inadequate. "He somewhat said, 'Oh the buck stops with me,' but then he immediately pivoted to blame everyone else," Robbins said. "It was ridiculous."
"He can keep gaslighting people but nobody buys it anymore," Robbins told Fox News Digital.
Robbins is running for governor of Minnesota and has introduced legislation she calls the Walz Act, which she says contains more serious measures to address fraud than the governor's proposals. She described the governor's fraud-prevention initiatives as measures that would do "nothing but create more bureaucracy."
"Minnesotans are owed an explanation of how billions of our tax dollars could be stolen on his watch," Robbins said.
What the Numbers Show
The source article does not provide specific figures for the total amount allegedly stolen in the Minnesota fraud scandal. The article refers to "billions" in stolen taxpayer funds but does not cite a verified dollar amount from an official audit or investigation report.
Robbins' committee has also sought testimony from Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., regarding her ties to individuals and locations implicated in what's known as the Feeding Our Future scandal. Omar did not appear before the same committee earlier this month. Robbins sent a letter to Omar's office demanding answers by May 5.
The Bottom Line
Walz's absence from the hearing leaves unanswered questions for Republican lawmakers investigating how billions of dollars in state funds were allegedly stolen under his administration. Robbins and other Republicans say they will continue pursuing testimony from the governor and other officials connected to the fraud scandal.
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz's office multiple times for this article but did not receive a response beyond an initial acknowledgment. The governor is scheduled to leave office at the end of his term, making this one of his final public accountability moments over the issue before he departs.