Democratic presidential candidate, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz greet supporters during a campaign event at the Liacouras Center at Temple University on Aug. 6, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Harris released a statement later in the day wishing Walz the best and touting his "life in public service" but did not specifically address the fraud scandal or vetting process.
"The vetting clearly failed," retired Minnesota State Patrol Lt. John Nagel told Fox News Digital. Nagel is running for Congress as a Republican against Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.
"By the time Governor Tim Walz was selected, Minnesota’s fraud scandals were already public, already under federal investigation, and already raising serious questions about oversight. That wasn’t hidden information — it was an open and growing issue, despite a local media environment that protects Democrats."
Gov. Tim Walz signed into law a sweeping package of police accountability measures Thursday, July 23, 2020, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
"Maybe the standard was different because they understood who they were running against, and maybe they were blasé about it because they were looking at their opponent and saying, well, this may not be as comparable to this, and so we can excuse this because this guy over here has done X, Y, and Z," Ceraso explained.
Going forward, Ceraso said the Democratic Party could arguably "put itself in a position as being the values party" by placing more emphasis on vetting issues on their own merits rather than comparing records to Trump.
"The Democratic Party needs to be better because we can all be better, but I think comparing ourselves to a president that we obviously disagree with morally and saying, well, we're not as bad as that, but still let a multi-billion dollar corruption thing happen with no accountability. That's still pretty bad."
Nagel told Fox News Digital that if Harris decides to run for political office in the future that this issue will likely come up.
"Voters deserve to know how decisions at the highest levels are made — and whether political considerations outweighed transparency and accountability," Nagel said. "Unfortunately, if Kamala decides to run in 2028, legacy media outlets will likely not press her on her choice of Walz. I expect that to only be raised in Democrat circles during a presidential debate during the primaries."
Fox News Digital reached out to Harris' office for comment.
Walz has also faced criticism in recent days for comments he made on the campaign trail touting childcare programs in Minnesota, suggesting it should be a model for the nation, even though the Feeding Our Future scandal had been bubbling for years.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/walzs-long-running-fraud-scandal-puts-harris-campaign-judgment-under-scrutiny