Nick Shirley brutally fact-checked amid Minnesota daycare row; demands Tim Walz's arrest
Nick Shirley escalates Minnesota daycare fraud on Don Jr. podcast, demands Tim Walz's arrest.
Independent journalist Nick Shirley has escalated his claims of widespread fraud in Minnesota's daycare subsidy system. He told Donald Trump Jr. on his podcast “Triggered with Don Jr.” that those responsible, including Governor Tim Walz, should face criminal charges if allegations are true.
Shirley affirmed that if required, Walz should spend “10 days in a prison cell.”
Shirley released a 42- minute video documenting seemingly inactive child-care centers in Minnesota, which has garnered attention from federal agencies and politicians.
Read more: Did Nick Shirley uncover alleged Minnesota daycare fraud on his own?
Scandal is a “pivotal moment”
Shirley told Trump Jr. that the alleged fraud scandal is a “pivotal moment” and that accountability must reach beyond administrative reprimands.
He adds, “And the same with all the other fraudsters and all the other corrupt politicians who allowed this to happen. Like, it’s time to take it seriously.”
“If I stole $10 million, I’d be in jail. So, therefore, if Tim Walz is accountable… that’s what he should have to do,” Shirley said. He called for criminal prosecution of politicians and perceived collaborators in the alleged fraud scheme. He further said that this would demonstrate that the system “isn’t rigged for the powerful.”
Walz has long been known of the alleged fraud, according to Shirley, and going after the governor and others would bring about “massive change.”
Read more: Minnesota childcare hits back at Nick Shirley's fraud allegations
What is the State saying?
Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown defended their track record, saying that the state has made at least one visit to each of the ten establishments shown in the YouTube video during the previous six months as part of routine licensing inspections.
According to Brown, the state is currently reexamining each website to verify the allegations made in the YouTube video.
Brown also stated that the state has not suspended payments to any of the daycare facilities shown in the YouTube video because of fraud concerns. "There have been ongoing investigations with several of those centers," Brown explained. “None of those investigations have uncovered findings of fraud,” she said.
In fact, according to officials, two of the centers featured in the video are actually closed. That includes the misspelt "Quality Learning Center" that shut down last week.
