Fact Check: Did Amy Klobuchar withdraw her endorsement for Ilhan Omar over Minnesota Medicaid fraud?

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Amid the widening probe into the Minneapolis Medicaid fraud, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has withdrawn her endorsement of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar over her alleged involvement in the fraud.

Let us analyse the origins of the viral claim and fact-check it.

Claim: Amy Klobuchar has withdrawn her endorsement of Ilhan Omar

According to the viral rumor, Klobuchar has officially withdrawn her endorsement of Ilhan Omar after an independent investigation linked the Minnesota Congresswoman directly to the billions in Medicaid fraud in her state. 

The post alleges that, according to citizen journalist Nick Shirley Omar's travel plans to her former country all coincide with the massive cash withdrawals being smuggled from Medicaid accounts in suitcases. 

"Nobody is going to question a United States Representative, Shirley allegedly said, "They never checked her suitcase." 

The post further claims that Shirley said "patsies" were being caught with suitcases containing just enough to raise alarms but not enough to be illegal. 

"That was to help the real cash mule get through,” Shirley said, according to the viral post. 

The post that originated on Facebook has spread on X and has been amplified by various accounts, garnering hundreds of thousands of views.

Fact Check: The claim originated as a satire

However, no evidence proves that Klobuchar has officially withdrawn her endorsement of Ilhan Omar. There are also no reports that say an independent probe found that Omar is linked to billions in Medicaid fraud in her state. 

Also, there are no credible reports where Nick Shirley has made the above-mentioned remarks. A search on Google for the claim yielded no credible reports by prominent news media outlets, which, if true, would have been widely covered, sparking nationwide debates and outrage.

Moreover, the image of Klobuchar and Omar, which accompanied the post, has small overlay text on the bottom right corner written, ‘Satire,’ and the page that posted it describes in the bio as ‘Nothing on this page is real.’

Minnesota fraud probe targets Medicaid, Childcare funds

Federal authorities executed 22 coordinated search warrants in the Minneapolis area last month as part of a significant fraud investigation. 

The operation included the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and local law enforcement, targeting businesses that received millions in Medicaid and federal childcare funding.

Officials stated that the raids were not related to immigration enforcement and were led by HSI units that focus on financial crimes.

This investigation follows months of public scrutiny and a February congressional hearing called “Somali Scammers: Fighting Fraud in Minnesota and Beyond,” which was chaired by Senator Ted Cruz.