A spokesperson for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) rushed out a defensive statement late Sunday after an explosive video surfaced showing supposedly taxpayer-funded “daycare” facilities with misspelled signs, locked doors, and not a single child in sight—despite millions of public dollars flowing their way. When paired with Walz’s frantic messaging on X earlier in the evening, it was hard to miss the telltale signs of a governor and an administration in full-blown crisis mode.
The governor’s office quickly scrambled to respond to Fox News, insisting Walz has been “cracking down” on fraud for years by hiring auditors, shutting down programs, and supporting prosecutions—claims that ring hollow given the sheer scale and brazenness of the abuse now coming into public view.
“The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action,” the spokesperson said. “He has strengthened oversight — including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed.”
The statement further claimed 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.”
Walz also attempted to change the subject as the scandal intensified, posting a message on X that read like a campaign brochure, touting a laundry list of supposed “positives” in Minnesota.
“#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 blew up in Walz’s face almost instantly. Independent videographer Nick Shirley—the man behind the viral “ghost daycare” footage—responded by bluntly suggesting Minnesota is now “#1 for fraud,” a line that quickly caught fire online.
Walz’s frantic pushback comes as a 42-minute video from Shirley, now viewed tens of millions of times, laid bare what appear to be sham childcare centers and healthcare providers scattered across the state, including multiple Somali-linked operations. The footage shows locked doors, empty buildings, and zero evidence of children—despite these entities being showered with taxpayer cash.
One facility in particular enraged viewers: a daycare sporting a misspelled sign reading “Quality Learing Center,” licensed to care for up to 99 children, yet apparently operating as nothing more than a facade. Records show that the same center pulled in millions in federal taxpayer money over several years—raising the obvious question of how this went on for so long under Walz’s watch.
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 shocking video has sparked anger from prominent individuals such as Elon Musk (who called for Walz to be prosecuted), Vice President JD Vance (who referred to it as a “microcosm of the immigration fraud”), and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-6), who openly criticized 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 is erupting as Minnesota’s Somali community is already mired in a sweeping fraud scandal that some observers estimate may have cost taxpayers as much as $9 billion. Even more alarming, certain businesses have been accused of funneling millions of those fraudulently obtained dollars to the terror group Al-Shabaab—an allegation that should have triggered wall-to-wall outrage and immediate accountability.
Walz’s damage-control operation looks more desperate by the day. But unless ongoing investigations actually reach his office and produce real consequences, there’s little reason to believe this scandal will end his political career.
And if Walz does manage to skate through this debacle unscathed, it will only confirm what many Americans already suspect: when corruption festers under Democratic leadership, accountability is optional—thatno one at the top ever pays a price for what happens on their watch.
