Minnesota governor, FBI director take credit for Minneapolis raids

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and FBI Director Kash Patel each claimed credit Tuesday for a series of federal raids in the Minneapolis area that targeted alleged fraud.

Federal agents were seen by reporters at a series of largely Somali-owned businesses in the Twin Cities, including childcare centers that have come under scrutiny in recent months. Walz said the actions were taken based on information that state officials shared with federal authorities.

"If you commit fraud in Minnesota you’re going to get caught — and that’s exactly what we saw today. We catch criminals when state and federal agencies share information. Joint investigations work, and securing justice depends on it," he said on the US social media platform X.

"Today’s raids by state and federal law enforcement happened because our state agencies caught irregular behavior and reported it. That’s how the system is supposed to work, and our agencies will keep at it as long as there are fraudsters around to put behind bars," he added.

Patel disputed the account and accused Walz of attempting to "take credit" for the bureau's work.

"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," he said in response to Walz's post.

It is unclear if any information provided by Minnesotan authorities contributed to the development of the search warrants that were executed.

A Justice Department spokesperson cited by multiple US media outlets said federal agents were "involved in court-authorized law enforcement activity as part of an ongoing fraud investigation." A senior department official told NBC News that over 22 search warrants were executed in the Minneapolis operation.