White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt used the podium to do the job the legacy media refuses to do: call out real, ugly fraud that has gutted taxpayer programs — including a massive scheme in Minnesota that stole millions meant for children. Her blunt admonition that Democrats in charged state offices must answer for how this happened cut through the usual spin, and it should make every taxpayer furious.
Federal prosecutors have described the Feeding Our Future case as a brazen, organized rip-off of the Federal Child Nutrition Program, with indictments showing fake attendance rosters, phony invoices and shell companies used to launder reimbursements. The Department of Justice says the scheme fraudulently obtained and disbursed more than a quarter of a billion dollars — money that belonged to hardworking Americans and to children who were supposed to be fed.
It’s not just bad actors at the local level; audits into the Minnesota Department of Education exposed lax oversight that created the opportunity for this theft to flourish. Responsible government isn’t finger-pointing — it’s accountability, and audits show officials failed to act on red flags long before prosecutors did their work.
Instead of contrition, too many in the media and the political class tried to paper over what happened or weaponize identity politics to distract from responsibility. Leavitt and the administration are right to highlight the scale of fraud across federal programs — the IGs have found billions in improper payments — and conservatives should applaud a real commitment to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse.
Americans deserve answers and consequences, not excuses, and Republicans must press every avenue of oversight until those who stole from kids and taxpayers are brought to justice and the officials who enabled them are held to account. Voters should remember which party defended oversight and which party defended the status quo as they weigh candidates and policies at the ballot box.
