JD Vance likens Tim Walz to ‘arsonist’ as he accuses him of claiming credit for FBI fraud raids

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday, April 29, compared Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to an "arsonist trying to claim credit for the work of the fire department" after the governor suggested state agencies led the way in a massive federal fraud bust. 

Vance argued that the state government was largely unhelpful in the investigation and suggested that the administration is now exploring the denaturalization of those involved in such schemes. 

JD Vance rejects Tim Walz’s claims of cooperation in federal fraud raids

During an interview on 'The Will Cain Show', JD Vance criticized Walz for allegedly taking credit for recent fraud raids in Minneapolis. 

Vance didn't hold back, saying, "This is like the arsonist trying to claim credit for the work of the fire department because Tim Walz let this fraud happen under his watch. Whether he was complicit in it directly himself or just turned a blind eye towards it."

The dispute follows FBI raids on dozens of local businesses, including several childcare centers, which Vance claims the governor's office did nothing to help with.

The tension started when Walz posted on X that state agencies were responsible for catching the "irregular behavior" that led to the raids.

FBI Director Kash Patel quickly shut down that narrative, replying, "Come again? This FBI and DOJ with our DHS partners drafted and executed every search warrant today. But go ahead and take credit for our work while we smoke out the fraud plaguing Minnesota under your governorship."

Vance backed this up by telling host Will Cain, "We really did not get much help at all from the governor's office. Where we did actually get some help was from some state local law enforcement officers who we assigned to the federal task force because the state government wasn't doing anything."

JD Vance vows 'hard look' at MN authorities following massive fraud report

Vance expressed frustration over the scale of the problem, pointing to the report that found $186 billion in improper payments across government programs in 2025.

He warned that this wasn't just about paperwork, stating, "This fraud ring that we've allowed to fester in this country, it defrauds the taxpayers. It also literally takes resources from the mouths of poor children."

Because of this, the vice president promised that investigators would take a "hard look" at high-ranking Minnesota officials to see if they knew about the schemes while they were happening.

The investigation is also looking into how these fraud rings started in the first place. Vance claimed that "there were multiple Minnesota authorities who were turning a blind eye to this fraud," and added that the administration is working to find out if that negligence was actually criminal. 

He also took a shot at the previous administration for letting people into the country on fraudulent claims, noting that some people "came into this country, many of them illegally, and six months later they're driving Mercedes despite the fact that they don't have a job. That doesn't happen without some defrauding of the American taxpayer."

JD Vance confirms denaturalization and nationwide crackdown

When the conversation turned to what happens next for those caught in the fraud net, Vance confirmed that the Trump administration is looking at denaturalization and deportation.

"Absolutely," he told Fox News when asked if they would send convicted fraudsters back to their home countries.

"And that's one of the angles that we're looking at, is the people who committed immigration fraud against our system, and how do we denaturalize those people and send them back to where they came from."

Vance also took a moment to joke about one of the raid sites, the "Quality Learing Center," which was famously misspelled on its own building.

He suggested that while the situation is serious, the Minneapolis raids are only the beginning of a nationwide crackdown. He stated, "I think Minneapolis is the tip of the iceberg. I think there's sort of a good news, bad news situation in that, Will, which the good news is that we're stopping the fraud that's happening against the American taxpayer. The bad news is my own children will never be able to attend school at the 'Quality Learing Center.'"