Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty referred to the state's current governor, Democrat Tim Walz, as the "fraud father" for what he described Thursday on Newsmax as years of ignored warnings and weak oversight.
Pawlenty, a Republican, told "Finnerty" that Walz, who has announced plans to seek a third term this year, should not run again.
"I don't believe Gov. Walz should serve another term, which would be his third term," he said. "I think he should step aside for that purpose."
Pawlenty said resignation would not solve the problem, arguing that Walz's lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, would take over and that such a change "would not be an upgrade."
His criticism comes amid mounting scrutiny over fraud tied to state-funded programs, including child care and food assistance initiatives, which have cost Minnesota and federal taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Walz has pushed back, recently blaming President Donald Trump and other Republicans for politicizing the issue and seeking to defund social programs.
Pawlenty rejected that argument, saying Walz bears responsibility for failures flagged long before the scandals became public.
"I think if he does run for reelection, the main issue against him is going to be his role as the, you know, fraud father, if you will, in these cases," Pawlenty said.
He said Walz is attempting to "flip the script" by turning the issue into a referendum on Trump but warned that public anger in Minnesota is deep and widespread.
"People in Minnesota are very, very angry about this fraud," Pawlenty said. "It is the talk of the state, really the talk of the nation."
Pawlenty pointed to repeated warnings from nonpartisan legislative auditors, saying they raised alarms "for years, not weeks, not months," about lax financial controls and the risk of fraud.
"They were ignored and discounted by the Walz administration and people within that administration," he said.
"That's no spin. That's just straight from auditors, well-respected on both sides of the aisle."
Asked whether Walz might have hesitated to act for political reasons, Pawlenty said the warnings were clearly brought to the governor's attention.
"The auditor's reports that came out and the whistleblower reports that came out clearly were on Gov. Walz's radar screen," he said.
Pawlenty said one possible explanation for inaction was political sensitivity surrounding allegations involving Minnesota's Somali community.
"One theory, by the way, is that that administration was afraid to tackle the allegations against the Somali community because they were going to get accused of being racist," he said.
When asked if electoral considerations played a role, Pawlenty replied: "Yeah — 100,000 Somalis in Minnesota. And it's a big voting bloc for the Democratic Party in particular."
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