Emmer warns Walz could end up 'in cuffs' amid Minnesota fraud claims

Minnesota Gov. Walz refuses to resign amid fraud scandal: 'Over my dead body'

Fox News contributor Joe Concha joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss why he believes Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is 'panicked' as his state faces a welfare fraud scandal.

EXCLUSIVE: The No. 3 leader in the House of Representatives is arguing that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz could be leaving office earlier than he intended, even after the progressive refused to resign over alleged widespread fraud in his state.

"I think perhaps this is a lot deeper, a lot larger than we knew," Emmer told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. "Tim should do the right thing and resign. And if he doesn't, I think he might be leaving the offices in cuffs."

Federal prosecutors are investigating accusations of fraud within Minnesota’s social programs, with a significant amount of scrutiny on the state’s Somali community.

WALZ'S LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AND PROGRESSIVE SENATE HOPEFUL SLAMMED FOR LEADERSHIP AMID SOMALI FRAUD CRISIS

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is criticizing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's administration over the alleged fraud scandal there. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)

U.S. attorneys have alleged that as much as $9 billion in state and federal funding could have fallen prey to fraud, an estimate that Walz and other state Democratic leaders have said is overblown.

Walz said during a press conference on Tuesday that he would not resign over the scandal, telling reporters when asked, "Over my dead body will that happen."

The enhanced media scrutiny did push Walz to drop his bid for a third term as governor, however.

Asked about his refusal to resign, Emmer said, "This guy has got to stop acting like a coward, and he's got to start taking accountability for the fact that he is completely incompetent, and perhaps even complicit, in one of the most breathtaking fraud examples that we've ever seen."

SEN AMY KLOBUCHAR SAYS SHE'S 'SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING' A GUBERNATORIAL BID

Quality Learning Center in Minnesota was found at the center of an alleged childcare fraud scandal in the state. (Madelin Fuerste/Fox News Channel)

"Tim Walz, he said he was running for a third term and that he was going to fight for Minnesota. And then what he did was, he said, 'Well, I'm not going to run for a third term anymore, but I'm going to fight for Minnesota.' And he came out the next day, had to have a press conference to say he wasn't resigning," Emmer said. "It's just wild. He's coming unglued."

Walz said he was "accountable for this" as the top state official during his press conference on Tuesday, while also criticizing Republicans' response to the matter.

"Republicans want to tell you everybody with brown skin is stealing money or that they're not welcome here. They want to do nothing to improve this state. Their idea of improving this state is being a parrot for Donald Trump, agreeing to everything that he agreed with," he said.

FROM CONGRESS, TO VP NOMINEE TO DISGRACED FORMER GOVERNOR: A LOOK AT THE RISE AND FALL OF TIM WALZ

"Right now they are hiding behind a veil of innuendo. They're protecting the biggest fraudster in the White House."

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that he would not seek re-election on Jan. 5, 2026, at a press conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last month it had charged six people for "participating in schemes to defraud the government in the Autism fraud scheme and the Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) fraud scheme."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Federal prosecutors also charged multiple people last year with stealing more than $240 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future.

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz's office for a response to Emmer's comments.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]