Fact Check: Did Tim Walz fly the Somali national flag at Minnesota governor's mansion?

ST PAUL, MINNESOTA: A viral video and social media posts have claimed that the Somali national flag was being flown at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s official residence, suggesting an unusual political statement amid ongoing controversies involving Somali-American communities in the state.

YouTuber Nick Shirley recently uploaded a 42-minute video titled "I Investigated Minnesota’s Billion Dollar Fraud Scandal," which led to several Minnesota GOP legislators calling on Walz to resign because of his alleged mishandling of the scandal.

Claim: Gov Tim Walz flew the Somali national flag at his residence

People on X (formerly Twitter) started sharing videos of a blue flag with a white star, claiming it was the Somali national flag flying outside Governor Walz’s house.

Some users jumped to the conclusion that Walz was making a political statement, especially with all the talk about immigration and fraud investigations going on in Minnesota.

People started linking these flag sighting claims to the bigger controversy swirling around that viral video about childcare fraud in Minnesota.

Now, the whole scandal has turned into a political fight, with federal investigators getting involved and people arguing fiercely about Somali-American communities in Minnesota and Governor Walz’s lack of involvement in the transparent process to investigate.

Fact Check: Flag seen in viral video is not the Somali national flag

There is no evidence that the Somali national flag, a light blue field with a centered white five-point star, was flown at the Minnesota governor’s mansion.

The flag shown in the video is Minnesota's official state flag, adopted in May 2024. While its design may appear visually similar to some flags from regions in Somalia, it is not the Somali national flag.

The previous Minnesota flag featured a blue field with the state seal in the center, including dates, a loon, and imagery representing settlers and Native Americans.

The current flag has a dark blue stylized outline of Minnesota on the left with a white eight-pointed star and a solid light blue right side

By comparison, the Somali national flag has a light blue field with a centered white five-pointed star.

Governor Walz didn’t change Minnesota’s state flag to look like Somalia’s, and nobody raised a Somali flag at his residence.

Those rumors floating around on social media? They come from people misreading random photos or videos.

The misinformation circulated against the backdrop of heightened political discourse in Minnesota over fraud investigations involving federal funding, some of which concern the Somali community.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.