Trump links the riots in Minnesota to the fraud investigations
Trump has made the connection between the fraud investigations and the riots, which first broke out over the seemingly unconnected enhanced enforcement of federal immigration law by ICE agents.
By Elyse Apel | The Center Square
Published: January 26, 2026 10:44pm
As sometimes violent protests continue in Minneapolis after the Saturday shooting death of a city resident by an immigration officer, the Trump administration is blaming local and state officials for “inciting” them in the wake of fraud investigations there.
Independent and federal investigations are ongoing after billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded fraud schemes were revealed over the past few months, with claims the fraud could range from $9 billion to $20 billion in Minnesota alone.
Republicans have labeled it "one of the biggest fraud schemes in American history."
As widespread tensions continue to grow on the streets of the Twin Cities, Republicans are beginning to tie the rioting and the fraud together.
“When there was all the focus on the billions and billions of dollars in fraud happening in Minneapolis, suddenly Minneapolis became a powder keg,” said Todd Blanche, U.S. deputy attorney general. “The people who caused it to happen: the governor, the mayor, the attorney general, and [Ilhan] Omar. They incited rhetoric – encouraged rioters.”
Second-term Republican President Donald Trump has also made the connection between the fraud investigations and the riots, which first broke out over the seemingly unconnected enhanced enforcement of federal immigration law by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
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https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/trump-minnesota-fraud-riots-linked
