A Republican candidate for governor in Minnesota has leveled serious accusations against Governor Tim Walz, suggesting a “cover-up” that he claims is “worse than Watergate.” The allegations come as Walz, a Democrat, faces mounting scrutiny over purported fraud involving the Somali community in Minnesota.

Dr. Scott Jensen, who is 71 years old, likened the unfolding scandal to the infamous Watergate affair that ultimately led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. He expressed concerns that the situation in Minnesota “could be even worse,” during an interview with Fox News on Saturday.

“There’s a possibility that this involves something much more sinister than just a cover-up,” Jensen told the news outlet.

He further speculated that the issue could potentially involve a “pay to play” scheme, suggesting that elected officials might be implicated.

Jensen added: ‘It could be a pay to play scheme that involves elected officials.’

Federal prosecutors said that over the last five years, scores of scammers – many which were part of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora – stole more than $1 billion meant to aid hungry children, homeless families and autism patients.

It has since been revealed that Walz had connections with at least some of the refugees charged in the fraudulent scheme.

Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen said the $1 billion fraud scandal in the state could parallel Watergate

Jensen accused Minnesota Governor Tim Walz of not doing enough to curtail the fraud and taking too long to involve federal investigators

It has since been revealed that Walz had connections with at least some of the refugees charged in the fraudulent scheme

The GOP candidate said that Walz and the state’s Department of Education ‘knew in 2020 that there was a problem’ but did not involve federal investigators until the following year.

‘And yet they’ve made claims that as soon as they learned about it, they got the FBI involved,’ Jensen told Fox News. ‘That’s not true.’

He said Walz had ‘demonstrated a very skilled approach to deflecting’ but accused the Democratic leader of attempting to pin the scandal on others.

Jensen believed more worrying information about the welfare fraud could come out.

He said: ‘The underlying question has to be: is there something more nefarious than this?’

The Republican politician wondered whether there was ‘literally sequestration of funds that at some point in time could be paid back to people when things have calmed down.’

‘Is there some pay-to-play scheme that we haven’t yet been informed about?’ Jensen said. ‘That’s what’s really frightening.’ 

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was pictured with Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, one of the Somali refugees charged in the massive scheme

Federal prosecutors said scores of scammers in Minnesota’s Somali diaspora had stolen more than $1 billion over the last five years

If that accusation turned out to be real, Jensen warned, there would likely be a ‘need for criminal prosecution to take place of some Minnesota elected officials’ at some level.

White House officials declared Friday that Somali refugees in the state had committed the ‘biggest theft of taxpayer dollars in US history’ and that local Democratic officials were ‘fully complicit.’

The suspects allegedly ran companies that billed Minnesota state officials for millions of dollars in social services that were never actually rendered as part of three separate fraud schemes.

Walz was previously pictured with Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, who was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on Friday.

Ibrahim had previously been convicted in Canada of asylum and welfare fraud, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

US Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller said authorities ‘believe the state government is fully complicit in this scheme, and we believe that what we uncover is going to shock the American people.’

‘We believe that we’ve only scratched the very top of the surface of how deep this goes,’ Miller told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Friday night.

Ibrahim was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security said he had ‘been linked to Minnesota’s top sanctuary politicians’

US Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller said Friday that Somali refugees in Minnesota had committed the ‘biggest theft of taxpayer dollars in US history’

After the scandal in Minnesota was revealed, US President Donald Trump announced he was ending Temporary Protected Status for Somalis. This led to Ibrahim’s arrest on Friday.

While announcing the Minnesota man’s arrest on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security noted that Ibrahim had ‘been linked to Minnesota’s top sanctuary politicians’ and wrote ‘Bye-bye, Abdul.’

Ibrahim was one of the many alleged scammers in Minnesota’s Somali community accused of stealing more than $1 billion.

The money was intended for feeding children, helping homeless families and providing autism therapy but instead bankrolled expensive cars, lakefront homes, shopping sprees and luxury international travel.

Over five years, they created companies that billed Minnesota’s agencies for services that were exaggerated or nonexistent.

IRS investigator Justin Campbell called it the ‘epitome of greed.’

But Walz said that his administration erred on the side of generosity during the COVID-19 pandemic and was focused on doling money out to people as soon as possible.

Walz told The New York Times that Minnesota’s Scandinavian-style safety net programs were ‘set up to improve people’s lives’ and that ‘criminals find the loopholes’ in many cases

‘The programs are set up to improve people’s lives, and in many cases, the criminals find the loopholes,’ the Minnesota governor told The New York Times.

He offered a simple message for criminals in Minnesota taking advantage of the state’s Scandinavian-style safety net programs.

‘If you commit a crime, if you commit fraud against public dollars, you are going to go to prison,’ Walz said to the outlet.

Trump has called Minnesota a ‘hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.’

On Tuesday he claimed Somali immigrants ‘do nothing but b***h’ about the US and should ‘go back to where they came from.’

Trump added: ‘Their country’s no good for a reason. Their country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country.’

He said the US was ‘at a tipping point’ that ‘could go one way or the other.’

‘We’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country,’ Trump said. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Walz and Jensen for further comment.