A Minnesota Republican lawmaker has now reportedly formally filed articles of impeachment against Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, escalating pressure on an administration already under intense scrutiny following revelations of a massive fraud scandal involving taxpayer-funded programs in the state.
State Rep. Mike Wiener announced Monday that he has initiated impeachment proceedings against Walz, accusing the governor of corrupt conduct and violations of his oath of office. In a post on Facebook, Wiener said the move officially begins the impeachment process in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Walz has drawn national attention in recent weeks after federal prosecutor Joseph Thompson disclosed alarming findings tied to fraud within Minnesota’s Department of Human Services. At a press conference last month, Thompson said as much as $9 billion in taxpayer money — or potentially more — may have been stolen during Walz’s time in office, a figure that has stunned observers and raised serious questions about oversight and accountability in the state.
The four articles of impeachment filed by Wiener allege that Walz knowingly concealed widespread fraud despite repeated warnings, interfered with lawful oversight and investigations, placed political considerations above the lawful administration of state government, and failed to properly execute state laws related to the stewardship of public funds.
“Democrat control of our state has led to 9 billion dollars of fraud that we currently know about,” Wiener told Newsweek. He pointed to Walz’s own past statements about executive responsibility, saying that since the governor has refused to resign, impeachment is the necessary next step. Wiener added that taxpayers are demanding accountability and warned that Democrats who oppose impeachment risk being seen as complicit.
The impeachment effort faces a steep political hurdle. Control of the Minnesota House and Senate is evenly split, with each party holding 67 seats. Wiener said he would need at least one Democrat on a committee to vote with Republicans for the measure to advance to the House floor, underscoring how tightly balanced the process is.
According to Thompson, at least 14 taxpayer-funded programs have been plagued by fraud since 2018. Those programs collectively cost $18 billion, and Thompson said it is possible that half or more of that total was fraudulently claimed. He described Minnesota as an outlier when it comes to the scale of the problem.
“I think we’re an outlier in a bad way,” Thompson said, noting that fraud of this magnitude is not commonly seen in other states. He said investigators routinely uncover new schemes worth tens of millions of dollars, a pattern he described as unacceptable for a state of Minnesota’s size.
Walz, now firmly in the hot seat, has pushed back against those characterizations. He has accused Thompson of engaging in “sensationalism” and insisted there is no evidence that the fraud totals reach $9 billion or more.
Earlier this month, Walz announced he will not seek re-election this year. In a lengthy statement, he claimed Minnesota has been unfairly targeted by the Trump administration and referenced the ongoing fraud investigations being pursued by the Justice Department.
“Like many Minnesotans, I was glad to turn the page on 2025,” Walz said, calling the year extraordinarily difficult for the state and acknowledging that it ended on what he described as a sour note.
As the impeachment push moves forward, the allegations have intensified debate over accountability in Minnesota government, placing Walz’s legacy and Democratic leadership in the state squarely under the microscope.
