YouTuber Nick Shirley’s video outlining the Minnesota fraud scandal has racked up more than 110 million views on social media over the past few days.
In a statement to Newsweek, the office of Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, said he had “worked for years to crack down on fraud and asked the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action.”
Newsweek has contacted Shirley for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The Minnesota fraud case has drawn Republican scrutiny of state leaders, including from President Donald Trump. Prosecutors have alleged that the fraud may cost Minnesota billions of dollars. More than a dozen individuals have been charged with allegedly defrauding the government.
The case has also become culturally fraught, as 82 of the 92 defendants charged are Somali Americans, the Associated Press reported. As the allegations drew national news, Trump referred to Somali Americans as “garbage.” Critics have said the Somali American community as a whole should not bear consequences for the actions of only some individuals, and that the scandal had created a sense of fear within the community.
What To Know
On December 26, Shirley—a 23-year-old YouTuber with more than 1.1 million followers—posted a video on social media outlining the fraud scandal. In the viral video, Shirley can be seen going to alleged child care facilities that received government funding to investigate the allegations.
The video went viral on X, where it had been viewed more than 111 million times by Monday morning.
On his YouTube channel, Shirley regularly posts videos covering major news stories. Many of his videos include “person on the street” interviews, in which he asks random individuals questions on topics such as the state of the U.S.
He has also covered the New York City mayoral election, ICE raids, Trump’s military parade and protests over the administration’s immigration policies in Los Angeles during the summer.
Earlier this year, Shirley participated in an “Antifa Roundtable” discussion with Trump and other members of his administration, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
His video on Minnesota has received support from prominent conservatives, with Vice President JD Vance commenting on Shirley’s X post, “This dude has done far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 @pulitzercenter prizes.”
What People Are Saying
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s office wrote in a statement to Newsweek: “The Governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and asked the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action. He has strengthened oversight—including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed. He 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.”
FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X: “The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota. However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs. Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide. To date, the FBI dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during COVID. The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies, and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network.”
YouTuber Nick Shirley said during an interview on Fox News’ The Big Weekend Show: “There better be change because, like I said, we work way too hard to be paying taxes. We work way too hard to be not knowing where our money is going.”
What Happens Next
Patel has said the FBI will continue to investigate fraud in Minnesota.
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