In response to a controversial video showcasing vacant “daycare” centers with poorly spelled signage, secured entrances, and no sign of children despite significant taxpayer investments, a spokesperson for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) released a defensive statement late Sunday.

Governor Walz and his team appear to be in full damage control mode, as evidenced by his earlier posts on X, aiming to manage the fallout from the viral footage.

The governor’s office quickly dispatched a statement to Fox News, asserting that Walz has long been committed to combating fraud by employing auditors, closing fraudulent programs, and supporting legal actions against wrongdoers.

“For years, the governor has taken steps to combat fraud, requesting more authority from the state legislature to take decisive action,” the spokesperson declared. “He has enhanced oversight by initiating investigations into these particular facilities, one of which has already been shut down.”

The statement further highlighted that Walz has engaged an external firm to scrutinize payments to high-risk programs, completely terminated the Housing Stabilization Services program, launched a new statewide program integrity director, and backed criminal prosecutions.

The statement added that Walz has “hired an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs, shut down the Housing Stabilization Services program entirely, announced a new statewide program integrity director, and supported criminal prosecutions.”

Tim Walz pushes back on Minnesota fraud allegations following viral daycare video https://t.co/SmxgQMSd6q

— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 29, 2025

READ MORE: Tim Walz Called Out Over Viral Video of MN Daycare Tied to Millions With No Kids and a Misspelled Sign

Journalist Nick Shirley Shreds Tim Walz’s Desperate Bid to Sound Competent As Scandal Implodes

Walz also tried to divert attention to the ongoing scandal, as RedState’s Nick Arama reported, by posting an X message highlighting all of the supposed positives in his state. 

“#8 state for safety. #5 state to live in. #3 state for jobs. #2 state to raise a family, and #2 state to retire,” he wrote. “We’ve made progress, but there’s more to do to deliver security, opportunity, and freedom to every Minnesotan. I won’t quit fighting until we’re #1.”

The post backfired almost immediately with independent videographer Nick Shirley, the man behind the viral ghost daycare video, suggesting Minnesota is “#1 for fraud.”

The frantic pushback by Walz comes as a 42-minute video from Shirley—now viewed tens of millions of times—exposed multiple seemingly deserted childcare centers and healthcare providers, including Somali-linked facilities. 

One facility that particularly raised the ire of viewers was a daycare with the misspelled sign “Quality Learing Center” which had nobody there despite being licensed to care for up to 99 children. That same center had received millions in federal taxpayer money over the past several years.

If you try to knock on the doors of Somali-owned daycares that have received millions of tax dollars from the Minnesota government, liberal white women will accuse you of being ICE. pic.twitter.com/FJ4YAa5qtP

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 26, 2025

The explosive footage has ignited outrage from figures like Elon Musk (who demanded Walz’s prosecution), Vice President JD Vance (who called it a “microcosm of the immigration fraud”), and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-6), who publicly called out the governor.

“4 million dollars of hard-earned tax dollars going to an education center that can’t even spell learning correctly. Care to explain this one, Tim Walz?” Emmer asked.

The daycare controversy comes as the Somali community is already embroiled in a fraud scandal that some observers estimate may have cost taxpayers as much as $9 billion. Some businesses have been accused of funneling millions of those fraudulently obtained funds to the terror group Al-Shabaab. 

Walz’s damage-control effort appears increasingly desperate. But unless and until investigations yield some accountability in the governor’s office, there is no reason to think he won’t survive the fraud debacle. 

If he does survive this mess politically, it seems safe to assume that no Democrat will ever be held responsible for the corruption that takes place on their watch.

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