Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the administration’s expanding investigation into a massive Minnesota welfare fraud scheme, allegedly carried out mainly by Somalis living in the state, telling CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that federal authorities are now tracking overseas money transfers linked to the case — including funds sent to Somalia and the Middle East.
In the interview, Bessent suggested that new immigrants must adapt to both cultural and legal norms in the U.S. “When you come to this country, you’ve got to learn which side of the road to drive on. You’ve got to learn to stop at stop signs, and you’ve got to learn not to defraud the American people.”
Bessent emphasized that the probe began with the IRS Criminal Investigations Unit, not state officials. He said the federal government had to “clean up the mess” after Minnesota failed to detect large-scale abuse within its nutrition and childcare programs, a scandal that has already led to dozens of indictments.
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