Amy Klobuchar’s first U.S. Senate campaign paid Nimco Ahmed, now the CEO of a Minnesota autism provider under state investigation, nearly $8,000 during the 2006 election cycle, according to federal campaign finance records. The connection is drawing new scrutiny as Klobuchar runs for governor on a platform centered on government accountability and fraud prevention.
Ahmed leads Milestone Development Center, which the Minnesota Department of Human Services has confirmed is currently the subject of an open investigation. DHS says Milestone and a second provider, Spectrum Therapy Center, were both terminated from participating in Medicaid through the state’s 2026 revalidation process and have appealed those decisions.
Nimco Ahmed’s Ties to the Klobuchar Campaign
A 2006 profile published by Mshale reported that Ahmed joined the “Klobuchar team” and listed her contact email through the campaign. Other archived articles from the outlet also identified Ahmed as a campaign staffer. A May 2006 profile noted that Ahmed had been courted by multiple campaigns before choosing Klobuchar, saying she believed Somali immigrants “should be accommodated to achieve their American dream.” According to Amy Klobuchar campaign fraud ties, Alpha News first surfaced the archived records linking Ahmed to the 2006 Senate race.
Ahmed has been a fixture in Democratic-Farmer-Labor politics for years and recently appeared alongside Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in a viral video. She has not been charged with any crime. Ahmed has denied wrongdoing and accused Alpha News of bias in its reporting about Milestone.
What the Milestone Investigation Involves
The state investigation into Milestone centers in part on allegations raised by a former therapist who told Alpha News he observed what he believed were red flags involving staffing, treatment and documentation at the center. Those allegations have not been proven in court, and DHS has not publicly detailed the full scope of its inquiry.
Republican state Rep. Max Rymer seized on the revelations, arguing that Ahmed’s relationships with prominent DFL politicians reflect a systemic problem. Fraud is so engrained in the Minnesota Democrat Party, a feature of their political apparatus, not a bug,” Rymer wrote on X. He also pointed to what he described as a pattern of “friendly photos together, financial earmarks for them, promises to protect them in closed door meetings,” calling it “a never-ending insult to Minnesotans.”
What This Means for Klobuchar’s Governor’s Race
There is no evidence that Klobuchar is accused of wrongdoing in connection with Milestone’s current investigation. The records show a past political relationship between the senator and Ahmed that predates the autism center’s state scrutiny by nearly two decades.
Klobuchar has made fraud prevention a centerpiece of her gubernatorial campaign, promising “immediate action to root out fraud” and a “top-to-bottom audit” of state government. The newly surfaced campaign records are likely to invite continued questions about that positioning as the race advances.
