December 11, 2025 • 24 mins
In February 2025, Lisa Demuth made history as the first Black lawmaker and first Republican woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Now she's running for Governor of Minnesota, looking to unseat Tim Walz. She shares her vision with Michele.
Michele Tafoya is a four-time Emmy award-winning sportscaster turned political and cultural commentator.
Record-setting, four-time Sports Emmy Award winner Michele Tafoya worked her final NBC Sunday Night Football game at Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022, her fifth Super Bowl. She retired from sportscasting the following day. In total, she covered 327 games — the most national primetime TV games (regular + postseason) for an NFL sideline reporter.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Minnesota should be the last place that criminals want to
do any type of criminal activity whatsoever. That is not
the case. Fraud has gone on for too long. It
has exploded under governor walls. And yet now because of
the help from the federal government, as you're seeing the
ones that are actually prosecuting the fraud and really shining
(00:21):
a light on it. That's why we're seeing national attention
and getting this changed here in the state. But clearly
there is a large number of employees that have come
out on x and said that they've tried to make
changes or report things and they were retaliated against. That
is not right in any job, let alone in the
state government. That itself needs to be investigated further. In
(00:45):
this last legislative session, though, we did add whistleblower protections
to kind of expand what was already happening to help
uncover the fraud and end it.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Welcome to another brand new episode of the Michelle Tafoya
podcast Quick Thing. Do you see that little subscribe button
wherever you're listening or watching, Just click it please. That
helps us grow and we want to be a podcast
that you enjoy three times a week, every single week.
So just hit subscribe. We really appreciate it. I've been
interviewing all of the Republican gubernatorial candidates in Minnesota. It's
(01:25):
clear by the breadth and depth of this group of people.
I think we're up to nine or ten now that
want to run for governor against Tim Walls. They see
a path, They see an administration under Tim Walls that
has not served Minnesota well, and they want to be
the ones to break through and finally get a Republican
(01:46):
back in the governor's mansion. Will it happen. We're gonna
find out. But I've been talking to all of them today.
Speaker Lisa Damus, she is Speaker of the House in Minnesota.
She's already picked a running mate, and she's joining us
to talk about her vision for the state of Minnesota.
And a lot of people may have seen her on
national television. She's been interviewed about the fraud of Minnesota.
(02:06):
And there's a lot of mispronunciation about her last name.
The first time I met her, she said, Michelle. It
rhymes it sounds like Joe Namath. Lisa Damoth. So, Lisa Damoth,
the Speaker of the House, is our guest. Next Speaker daymoth.
Thank you for taking the time to join me. This
is a crowded field, and it seems to be getting
(02:29):
more crowded by the day or by the week. Why
do you think so many Republicans want to jump in
for governor?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Well, thanks for having me on your podcast, Michelle, I
appreciate the opportunity to talk with you. I think you're
seeing a crowded Republican field because of what we've seen
under too long of Democrat control here in the state
of Minnesota, specifically under Tim Walls and his seven years
as governor of this state, where we've watched our state
(02:58):
budget explode, we watch an eighteen billion dollars surplus be spent,
all of our taxes and fees have been raised, Only
half of our kids can read at grade level, and
of course, as you and most people have heard, we
have record fraud here in the state of Minnesota. This
is a wonderful opportunity in twenty twenty six for Republicans
(03:20):
to take over and get the state back on track.
That's why you're seeing a crowded field. Clearly, it's going
to narrow as time goes on, but it is time
for Republicans, Conservatives and all Minnesotans to pull together and
change the direction of our state.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Independents are always really crucial in Minnesota as well. There's
a good chunk of independents who probably aren't decided right now.
What's your message to them? I have often told you
about my friends at best hotgrill dot com. They are
doing something they rarely do, which is to hold a
sale on their Solaire infrared grill. From November twenty fourth
(04:01):
through December fifth. They're offering a twenty five percent discount
off there Solaire Anywhere and Solaire Everywhere portable infrared grills. These,
I gotta tell you are the perfect gift for a
college student, a tailgater, someone who loves to boat, an rver,
a picnicker, or just a foodie, or for you. Don't
you deserve the best under the tree this season? Also
(04:23):
through December fifth, when you purchase a twenty seven inch
or larger Celaire infraredgrill, you will receive for free a
stainless steel griddle and a quality USA made cover to
protect your investment. That's up to a six hundred and
fifty dollars value. Now imagine not only grilling juicy and
tasty food, but also making eggs, pancakes, smash burger, fajitas, pizza,
(04:47):
anything you would like on your free professional style griddle.
Go to Best hootgrill dot com to learn more about
USA made Solaire infraredgrills and their Black Friday Cyber Monday sale.
That's Best hot grill dot Com by Selaire Infrared Grills,
on sale through December fifth at best hotgrill dot com.
(05:11):
Independents are always really crucial in Minnesota as well. There's
a good chunk of Independence who probably aren't decided right now.
What's your message to them?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
My message to Independence, Republicans and Democrats is that I
am the best candidate to lead Minnesota going forward. I
have a proven track record of being able to work,
as my responsibility has shown in order to get our
state budget done. As I've served as Speaker of the House,
I have had the responsibility of negotiating directly with Governor Walls,
(05:43):
and I have a proven track record that I have
delivered a five billion dollar reduction in state spending. I
ended the taxpayer funded illegal immigrant healthcare, and then we
protected our non public schools from major cuts added in
fraud protection by adding FTEs to the OLA. Those were
(06:06):
the things that I did as Speaker of the House
with a TIEDE house, I am the best one to
lead us forward.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
FTE with the OLA translate that for our lay people
will absolutely so.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
An FTE is a full time equivalent employee. The OLA
is a nonpartisan Office of Legislative Auditor. What the OLA
does is they have looked into agencies and programs within
the state and again nonpartisans, so not Democrat, not Republican,
(06:38):
but looking at the functioning of those programs. They produce
reports and they have been showing through many agencies in
DHS specifically, but in all different agencies Department of Revenue,
Department of Education where we have seen the most fraud.
We've also seen that a number of those agencies have
a lack of internal control. So when I talk about
(07:02):
an FTE or two additional full time equivalent equivalent employees
added to the Office of Legislative Legislative Auditor, clearly I
have put a focus on wanting to make sure that
our tax dollars are protected here in Minnesota, because we've
seen over a billion dollars go out in fraud.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
The fraud story is massive it's all over the place.
Tim Walls is deciding to blame others for it, but doesn't.
Why does the buck stop with the governor?
Speaker 1 (07:34):
It absolutely stops with the governor. He is when you
think of it as a business, the governor of the
state is the CEO of the state. He chooses commissioners
and puts them into office to run all of the
different departments. But when there has been numerous allegations of
fraud under Governor Walls, there's been over twenty five scandals
(07:56):
of fraud just in seven years. His respect responsibility is
to make sure that tax dollars are protected, that services
are deployed to those that need it the most, and
to oversee everything. Not a single employee has lost their
job during this time. Michelle, It absolutely is the governor's
responsibility for the well working of our state.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Well, he says he doesn't take responsibility for anything except
putting people in jail. But I would note that the
people who have been put in jail have been done
so because of federal prosecutions, not because of Tim Walls.
So how do you answer him on that point beyond
what I just pointed out.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
You're right, he hasn't put anyone in jail. He is
also said in that same interview over the weekend, he
said that Minnesota is a prosperous state, a well run state,
a generous state. But that's what would attract criminals. Michelle,
Let's think about that a little bit. If things are
well run, Minnesota should be the last place that criminals
(08:56):
want to do any type of criminal activity. Whatso, that
is not the case. Fraud has gone on for too long,
it has exploded under governor walls. And yet now because
of the help from the federal government, as you're seeing
the ones that are actually prosecuting the fraud and really
shining a light on it, that's why we're seeing national
(09:17):
attention and getting this changed here in the state.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Well, we know that the City Journal, which is part
of the Manhattan Institute, wrote deeply on this topic, and
then the New York Times picked it up. And somehow
now the New York Times has given the media permission
structure to now say, oh, look at Minnesota. I mean,
it's been years that this has been going on. People
have been calling it out. There have been whistleblowers. What
(09:42):
do you know about the whistleblowers and why they weren't
listened to.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
I'm not sure why they weren't listened to, but clearly
there is a large number of employees that have come
out on x and said that they've tried to make
changes or report things and they were retaliated against. That
is not right in any job, let alone in the
state government. That itself needs to be investigated further. In
(10:07):
this last legislative session, though, we did add whistleblower protections
to kind of expand what was already happening to help
uncover the fraud and end it.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
One of the things about this fraud is it's been disproportionately,
I mean massively disproportionately committed by the Somali community. Now
you can say, well, there are eighty thousand Somalis in
the state of Minnesota, and maybe one hundred were involved
in this, but it's been we can agree, disproportionate. And
we know that Tim Walls at least looks at and
(10:43):
I think our Attorney General, Keith Ellison looks at this
group as a significant voting block, and that threatened to say, hey,
if you don't support our businesses here that want to
do these things which were fraudulent, we're going to call
you racist, they succumb to that, they gave into that.
(11:03):
How do we deal with this in a way that
and when I say we, I mean the state of
Minnesota where I live. How do we deal with this
in a way that does not attack necessarily an entire community,
but points out very clearly that it is prevalent within
this community.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
I think you are exactly right when you think of
any community, any population. There are not just completely bad
people in any certain community or completely good people. But
I think the problem that we're facing here in Minnesota
is when someone claims that's racist, don't talk about it.
(11:43):
We're actually ignoring the actual fraud that's going on. We
have to keep our eye on the fraud itself and
how to end it, rather than worried that it's going
to be mistaken as as racism and then not do
anything about it. That is absentsolutely wrong. In no way
would I demonize an entire community. But you're right, Michelle,
(12:05):
it is disproportionately. Out of seventy eight defendants and prosecutions,
you know, over seventy have been from the Somali community.
We have to look at that differently. But we also
have a local news channel and a local paper that
have quotes from Somali Americans saying, investigate this. We need
(12:28):
this to stop in our community too.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
I have seen those quotes and thank goodness for them.
I applaud anyone who steps up and says, you know,
let's look at where the fraud is. Additionally, I know
that you are looking at and I think a lot
of Minnesotans are concerned about the judges in our system,
in our legal system in Minnesota. Mary Mori already comes
to mind. But there have been a number of cases
(12:54):
where people have been released back and we're seeing this
really nation and wide, people with long rap sheets released
back onto the street for whatever ideological reason. What are
you seeing? And what can a governor do about it?
A governor, Lisa Damuth, what would she do about it?
Speaker 1 (13:13):
So a governor is the one that appoints judges to
our district courts in the Supreme Court, and we have
had nearly a generation of Democrat appointed judges here in Minnesota.
We've had a couple of recent cases that are most
concerning on the issue of fraud. There was someone that
was found guilty by a jury. So you think of
(13:34):
regular Minnesotans doing their job their civic duty is serving
on a jury. They unanimously found this person guilty of
seven point two million dollars in fraud. Not talking about
just one hundred, a few hundred, which is bad, but
seven point two million dollars of fraud. And a district
judge overturned that jury ruling.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
So it is a unanimous jury that ruled that this
person was guilty. Yes, one district judge was able to
overturn that. That seems strange to me. What's going on there?
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
All I know is when there are Democrat appointed judges
that are willing to do something like that. We clearly
have judges, not every judge, but there is a pattern
in our state that there is a priority of the
criminals over victims. Whether it is fraud or any other
type of victim, there is a prioritization. A governor is
(14:32):
responsible for appointing the judges.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
As governor, I.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Will make sure and Michelle, I should say this too.
I have already chosen my running mate. At this point,
I am the only one in the governor's race that
has named my running mate, and that is Ryan Wilson.
You might remember his name. He ran for state auditor
back in twenty twenty two and came very very close.
He was the closest race in our statewide races. The
(15:02):
reason I chose Ryan though he is also an attorney
and has a proven record in constitutional law and the
work that he has done. Our ticket is ready to
lead Minnesota all the way through with creating policies, but
he will be very very much involved in making sure
that we have committees that are going to select the
(15:25):
correct judges to serve our entire state, to ensure that
victims are prioritized rather than criminals, and make sure that
the law is upheld all the way through the process.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Speaking of the law being upheld, and I've asked other
candidates about this, there was, of course in twenty twenty
the big defund the police movement. There's been a real
drop in morale. I know. I've spoken to law enforcement.
I've spoken to a lot of Minnesota peacekeepers who just
they look downtrodden, they look disheartened. They feel that they
(15:59):
don't have the backing of the mayor of Minneapolis or
the governor of Minnesota. How do you approach that and
if kind of been county or counties or cities don't
want to go along with you. What do you do?
Speaker 1 (16:13):
I have always supported law enforcement and I will continue
to do so. When we are talking about safety across
our state. We need qualified, excellent law enforcement agents that
are able to do their jobs and be respected in
those jobs. We need to have people that are deciding
on their careers, we need to have them consider being
(16:36):
in law enforcement and public safety. We're counting on that, Michelle.
Going back to the peace with the judges, how frustrating
for someone in law enforcement to do their job, arrest
a criminal and then watch them be spun out early
or you know, to really negate the work that they're doing.
That doesn't help our communities. It doesn't help the job
(16:56):
that they're doing. I will always support law enforcement, have
and will continue to do that. But when you think
of how a state budget works, especially in our cities
of the first class, so our large cities Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Duluth, Rochester,
there is a requirement that an adequate number of law
enforcement members will be in that community. And that's what
(17:19):
part of that local government aid is for so LGA
funding that comes from our taxes goes out to communities.
Part of that is ensuring public safety. And I had
a bill that I was introducing back in February of
twenty twenty, so go all the way back in your
mind before the world shut down. We knew that the
(17:41):
Minneapolis Police Department at that time was short over two
hundred officers.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
My bill at the time.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Which didn't get a hearing and it didn't get passed,
but it said that we would withhold a portion of
your LGA or local government aid if you did not
bring your complement of officers up to what is going
to be required by law. That didn't get any traction.
That was before we saw all of the defunding of
police movement. That's how much I supported both our law
(18:11):
enforcement but also the communities and the safety. I will
continue to work that way as governor of Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I want to get back to a couple of sort
of hot topics here, one being that the President of
the United States has come out very strongly against the
Somali community. He's I hear frustration out of the White House,
out of DC, I hear, but there, you know, some
of the language is tough. Where do you stand with
(18:45):
him and where do you diverge?
Speaker 1 (18:47):
You know, I think the language is tough, and I
recognize that, but I look back at it this way, Michelle.
If Governor Wallace had been taking fraud seriously and ending
fraud in the state of Minutes Minesota even while Biden
was president, if we needed help from the White House
while Biden was in office, we wouldn't be having these
(19:08):
same conversations Fraud and Minnesota would be over the fact
that it has gone unchecked for over seven years is
bringing frustration at every single level. This squarely is on
Governor Walls's shoulders for not handling our state budget and
the issue of fraud in a proper manner over his
time as governor.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
What about the lieutenant governor? What should she have known
and could she have done anything? Or is that just
a I mean, you have a ticket, you obviously have
decided on who you want to be your lieutenant governor.
Does does Peggy Flanagan have any any guilt here? Is
any of this on her?
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Well?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
The Walls Flanagan administration should have been handling this from
the very beginning, and they haven't. Because this is where
we find ourselves. That is why it was very important
to me to choose a running mate that was going
to be excellent qualifying for lieutenant governor, that we could
lead the state together early on, both through the campaigns
so people got to know us, but then also as
(20:10):
we go forward into actually being elected and then serving
in that administration. It has to be a partnership and
a priority. That's why you have a governor and lieutenant
governor to work together for the betterment of all Minnesota.
We haven't necessarily seen that over this current administration.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
I would agree with that. And you know, as much
as people want to talk about the a word affordability
and the economy, which are exceedingly important and all part
of a big picture, in my mind, to me, it
starts with public safety. If you can't feel safe in
your neighborhoods, in your schools, in your churches, in your
(20:49):
business offices on the streets, how can we possibly have
a thriving economy where people want to go out and
spend money and shop and go to rest staurants. That
to me seems to be the number one If you
started any community anywhere on the planet with ten people,
(21:09):
with two hundred people, it seems to me that their
first concern would be let's keep each other safe.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Exactly, and that's what we need here in Minnesota. I remember,
you know, I grew up in I was born in Paynesville,
and then we moved to the Metro when I was seven,
and we lived right off the lake in Chicago for
a number of years. But also being from Bloomington. As
a teenager, I was allowed to go downtown. I could
take the bus. It felt safe. I don't even feel
(21:38):
comfortable doing something like that right now as an adult,
necessarily because of what we've seen. You know, the work
from home and the extension of that has really made
our largest cities less populated on the regular. So when
you have less people, there is a feeling of less safety.
I was speaking earlier today with a group of building
(21:59):
owners and they were talking about these exact things. We
want people to come back to work in a way
that works best for the jobs that they have and
the businesses, but we need our communities to be safe.
We need our restaurants to be open, and that really
goes across the state. It's different in every little corner,
but that really grows across the state that if we
(22:20):
want a thriving economy, businesses need to be able to grow,
expand and stay here in Minnesota. And we know that
that also includes safety. It also includes really great schools
for families that are looking for great schools and great communities.
It's a bigger picture, and that's the part that we've
been missing. We can't silo all of these things. We
(22:41):
have to look at big picture overall.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
All, Right, what I've been asking each candidate that I've
had on and I don't want to say interviewed because
I like to feel like this is just a conversation.
But before we let you go, Lisa, Lisa Damoth rhymes
with Naymeath, give us your thirty second elevator pitch for
you as the next governor of the state of Minnesota.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Thank you for having me on today, Michelle. I believe
that Minnesota can be stronger and better than where we
find ourselves right now, both for today and for tomorrow,
for generations to come. I believe that our kids deserve
an excellent education. I believe that our businesses should thrive
and not be burdened by high taxes and overregulation. I
(23:29):
believe that families should be able to afford their lives,
and Minnesota can be an excellent place again. I'm Lisa Damuth.
I am running for governor to build a stronger and
better Minnesota together, all of us together.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Lisa, thank you so much for taking the time. We
really appreciate that. And I end every podcast by seeing saying,
be brave and do good. I think running for office
is one of the most courageous things a person can do,
and certainly I think almost everyone I've interviewed is doing
it so that they can do good. So I appreciate
you and we'll see you down the road.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Excellent, Thank you, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
You can keep up with the Trump administration when you
subscribe to the Trump Report. It's an email that brings
you daily highlights from the Oval Office right to your inbox,
five days a week. Subscribe today at salempodcastnetwork dot com
slash Trump
Minnesota should be the last place that criminals want to
do any type of criminal activity whatsoever. That is not
the case. Fraud has gone on for too long. It
has exploded under governor walls. And yet now because of
the help from the federal government, as you're seeing the
ones that are actually prosecuting the fraud and really shining
(00:21):
a light on it. That's why we're seeing national attention
and getting this changed here in the state. But clearly
there is a large number of employees that have come
out on x and said that they've tried to make
changes or report things and they were retaliated against. That
is not right in any job, let alone in the
state government. That itself needs to be investigated further. In
(00:45):
this last legislative session, though, we did add whistleblower protections
to kind of expand what was already happening to help
uncover the fraud and end it.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Welcome to another brand new episode of the Michelle Tafoya
podcast Quick Thing. Do you see that little subscribe button
wherever you're listening or watching, Just click it please. That
helps us grow and we want to be a podcast
that you enjoy three times a week, every single week.
So just hit subscribe. We really appreciate it. I've been
interviewing all of the Republican gubernatorial candidates in Minnesota. It's
(01:25):
clear by the breadth and depth of this group of people.
I think we're up to nine or ten now that
want to run for governor against Tim Walls. They see
a path, They see an administration under Tim Walls that
has not served Minnesota well, and they want to be
the ones to break through and finally get a Republican
(01:46):
back in the governor's mansion. Will it happen. We're gonna
find out. But I've been talking to all of them today.
Speaker Lisa Damus, she is Speaker of the House in Minnesota.
She's already picked a running mate, and she's joining us
to talk about her vision for the state of Minnesota.
And a lot of people may have seen her on
national television. She's been interviewed about the fraud of Minnesota.
(02:06):
And there's a lot of mispronunciation about her last name.
The first time I met her, she said, Michelle. It
rhymes it sounds like Joe Namath. Lisa Damoth. So, Lisa Damoth,
the Speaker of the House, is our guest. Next Speaker daymoth.
Thank you for taking the time to join me. This
is a crowded field, and it seems to be getting
(02:29):
more crowded by the day or by the week. Why
do you think so many Republicans want to jump in
for governor?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Well, thanks for having me on your podcast, Michelle, I
appreciate the opportunity to talk with you. I think you're
seeing a crowded Republican field because of what we've seen
under too long of Democrat control here in the state
of Minnesota, specifically under Tim Walls and his seven years
as governor of this state, where we've watched our state
(02:58):
budget explode, we watch an eighteen billion dollars surplus be spent,
all of our taxes and fees have been raised, Only
half of our kids can read at grade level, and
of course, as you and most people have heard, we
have record fraud here in the state of Minnesota. This
is a wonderful opportunity in twenty twenty six for Republicans
(03:20):
to take over and get the state back on track.
That's why you're seeing a crowded field. Clearly, it's going
to narrow as time goes on, but it is time
for Republicans, Conservatives and all Minnesotans to pull together and
change the direction of our state.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Independents are always really crucial in Minnesota as well. There's
a good chunk of independents who probably aren't decided right now.
What's your message to them? I have often told you
about my friends at best hotgrill dot com. They are
doing something they rarely do, which is to hold a
sale on their Solaire infrared grill. From November twenty fourth
(04:01):
through December fifth. They're offering a twenty five percent discount
off there Solaire Anywhere and Solaire Everywhere portable infrared grills. These,
I gotta tell you are the perfect gift for a
college student, a tailgater, someone who loves to boat, an rver,
a picnicker, or just a foodie, or for you. Don't
you deserve the best under the tree this season? Also
(04:23):
through December fifth, when you purchase a twenty seven inch
or larger Celaire infraredgrill, you will receive for free a
stainless steel griddle and a quality USA made cover to
protect your investment. That's up to a six hundred and
fifty dollars value. Now imagine not only grilling juicy and
tasty food, but also making eggs, pancakes, smash burger, fajitas, pizza,
(04:47):
anything you would like on your free professional style griddle.
Go to Best hootgrill dot com to learn more about
USA made Solaire infraredgrills and their Black Friday Cyber Monday sale.
That's Best hot grill dot Com by Selaire Infrared Grills,
on sale through December fifth at best hotgrill dot com.
(05:11):
Independents are always really crucial in Minnesota as well. There's
a good chunk of Independence who probably aren't decided right now.
What's your message to them?
Speaker 1 (05:19):
My message to Independence, Republicans and Democrats is that I
am the best candidate to lead Minnesota going forward. I
have a proven track record of being able to work,
as my responsibility has shown in order to get our
state budget done. As I've served as Speaker of the House,
I have had the responsibility of negotiating directly with Governor Walls,
(05:43):
and I have a proven track record that I have
delivered a five billion dollar reduction in state spending. I
ended the taxpayer funded illegal immigrant healthcare, and then we
protected our non public schools from major cuts added in
fraud protection by adding FTEs to the OLA. Those were
(06:06):
the things that I did as Speaker of the House
with a TIEDE house, I am the best one to
lead us forward.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
FTE with the OLA translate that for our lay people
will absolutely so.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
An FTE is a full time equivalent employee. The OLA
is a nonpartisan Office of Legislative Auditor. What the OLA
does is they have looked into agencies and programs within
the state and again nonpartisans, so not Democrat, not Republican,
(06:38):
but looking at the functioning of those programs. They produce
reports and they have been showing through many agencies in
DHS specifically, but in all different agencies Department of Revenue,
Department of Education where we have seen the most fraud.
We've also seen that a number of those agencies have
a lack of internal control. So when I talk about
(07:02):
an FTE or two additional full time equivalent equivalent employees
added to the Office of Legislative Legislative Auditor, clearly I
have put a focus on wanting to make sure that
our tax dollars are protected here in Minnesota, because we've
seen over a billion dollars go out in fraud.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
The fraud story is massive it's all over the place.
Tim Walls is deciding to blame others for it, but doesn't.
Why does the buck stop with the governor?
Speaker 1 (07:34):
It absolutely stops with the governor. He is when you
think of it as a business, the governor of the
state is the CEO of the state. He chooses commissioners
and puts them into office to run all of the
different departments. But when there has been numerous allegations of
fraud under Governor Walls, there's been over twenty five scandals
(07:56):
of fraud just in seven years. His respect responsibility is
to make sure that tax dollars are protected, that services
are deployed to those that need it the most, and
to oversee everything. Not a single employee has lost their
job during this time. Michelle, It absolutely is the governor's
responsibility for the well working of our state.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Well, he says he doesn't take responsibility for anything except
putting people in jail. But I would note that the
people who have been put in jail have been done
so because of federal prosecutions, not because of Tim Walls.
So how do you answer him on that point beyond
what I just pointed out.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
You're right, he hasn't put anyone in jail. He is
also said in that same interview over the weekend, he
said that Minnesota is a prosperous state, a well run state,
a generous state. But that's what would attract criminals. Michelle,
Let's think about that a little bit. If things are
well run, Minnesota should be the last place that criminals
(08:56):
want to do any type of criminal activity. Whatso, that
is not the case. Fraud has gone on for too long,
it has exploded under governor walls. And yet now because
of the help from the federal government, as you're seeing
the ones that are actually prosecuting the fraud and really
shining a light on it, that's why we're seeing national
(09:17):
attention and getting this changed here in the state.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Well, we know that the City Journal, which is part
of the Manhattan Institute, wrote deeply on this topic, and
then the New York Times picked it up. And somehow
now the New York Times has given the media permission
structure to now say, oh, look at Minnesota. I mean,
it's been years that this has been going on. People
have been calling it out. There have been whistleblowers. What
(09:42):
do you know about the whistleblowers and why they weren't
listened to.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
I'm not sure why they weren't listened to, but clearly
there is a large number of employees that have come
out on x and said that they've tried to make
changes or report things and they were retaliated against. That
is not right in any job, let alone in the
state government. That itself needs to be investigated further. In
(10:07):
this last legislative session, though, we did add whistleblower protections
to kind of expand what was already happening to help
uncover the fraud and end it.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
One of the things about this fraud is it's been disproportionately,
I mean massively disproportionately committed by the Somali community. Now
you can say, well, there are eighty thousand Somalis in
the state of Minnesota, and maybe one hundred were involved
in this, but it's been we can agree, disproportionate. And
we know that Tim Walls at least looks at and
(10:43):
I think our Attorney General, Keith Ellison looks at this
group as a significant voting block, and that threatened to say, hey,
if you don't support our businesses here that want to
do these things which were fraudulent, we're going to call
you racist, they succumb to that, they gave into that.
(11:03):
How do we deal with this in a way that
and when I say we, I mean the state of
Minnesota where I live. How do we deal with this
in a way that does not attack necessarily an entire community,
but points out very clearly that it is prevalent within
this community.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
I think you are exactly right when you think of
any community, any population. There are not just completely bad
people in any certain community or completely good people. But
I think the problem that we're facing here in Minnesota
is when someone claims that's racist, don't talk about it.
(11:43):
We're actually ignoring the actual fraud that's going on. We
have to keep our eye on the fraud itself and
how to end it, rather than worried that it's going
to be mistaken as as racism and then not do
anything about it. That is absentsolutely wrong. In no way
would I demonize an entire community. But you're right, Michelle,
(12:05):
it is disproportionately. Out of seventy eight defendants and prosecutions,
you know, over seventy have been from the Somali community.
We have to look at that differently. But we also
have a local news channel and a local paper that
have quotes from Somali Americans saying, investigate this. We need
(12:28):
this to stop in our community too.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
I have seen those quotes and thank goodness for them.
I applaud anyone who steps up and says, you know,
let's look at where the fraud is. Additionally, I know
that you are looking at and I think a lot
of Minnesotans are concerned about the judges in our system,
in our legal system in Minnesota. Mary Mori already comes
to mind. But there have been a number of cases
(12:54):
where people have been released back and we're seeing this
really nation and wide, people with long rap sheets released
back onto the street for whatever ideological reason. What are
you seeing? And what can a governor do about it?
A governor, Lisa Damuth, what would she do about it?
Speaker 1 (13:13):
So a governor is the one that appoints judges to
our district courts in the Supreme Court, and we have
had nearly a generation of Democrat appointed judges here in Minnesota.
We've had a couple of recent cases that are most
concerning on the issue of fraud. There was someone that
was found guilty by a jury. So you think of
(13:34):
regular Minnesotans doing their job their civic duty is serving
on a jury. They unanimously found this person guilty of
seven point two million dollars in fraud. Not talking about
just one hundred, a few hundred, which is bad, but
seven point two million dollars of fraud. And a district
judge overturned that jury ruling.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
So it is a unanimous jury that ruled that this
person was guilty. Yes, one district judge was able to
overturn that. That seems strange to me. What's going on there?
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
All I know is when there are Democrat appointed judges
that are willing to do something like that. We clearly
have judges, not every judge, but there is a pattern
in our state that there is a priority of the
criminals over victims. Whether it is fraud or any other
type of victim, there is a prioritization. A governor is
(14:32):
responsible for appointing the judges.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
As governor, I.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Will make sure and Michelle, I should say this too.
I have already chosen my running mate. At this point,
I am the only one in the governor's race that
has named my running mate, and that is Ryan Wilson.
You might remember his name. He ran for state auditor
back in twenty twenty two and came very very close.
He was the closest race in our statewide races. The
(15:02):
reason I chose Ryan though he is also an attorney
and has a proven record in constitutional law and the
work that he has done. Our ticket is ready to
lead Minnesota all the way through with creating policies, but
he will be very very much involved in making sure
that we have committees that are going to select the
(15:25):
correct judges to serve our entire state, to ensure that
victims are prioritized rather than criminals, and make sure that
the law is upheld all the way through the process.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Speaking of the law being upheld, and I've asked other
candidates about this, there was, of course in twenty twenty
the big defund the police movement. There's been a real
drop in morale. I know. I've spoken to law enforcement.
I've spoken to a lot of Minnesota peacekeepers who just
they look downtrodden, they look disheartened. They feel that they
(15:59):
don't have the backing of the mayor of Minneapolis or
the governor of Minnesota. How do you approach that and
if kind of been county or counties or cities don't
want to go along with you. What do you do?
Speaker 1 (16:13):
I have always supported law enforcement and I will continue
to do so. When we are talking about safety across
our state. We need qualified, excellent law enforcement agents that
are able to do their jobs and be respected in
those jobs. We need to have people that are deciding
on their careers, we need to have them consider being
(16:36):
in law enforcement and public safety. We're counting on that, Michelle.
Going back to the peace with the judges, how frustrating
for someone in law enforcement to do their job, arrest
a criminal and then watch them be spun out early
or you know, to really negate the work that they're doing.
That doesn't help our communities. It doesn't help the job
(16:56):
that they're doing. I will always support law enforcement, have
and will continue to do that. But when you think
of how a state budget works, especially in our cities
of the first class, so our large cities Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Duluth, Rochester,
there is a requirement that an adequate number of law
enforcement members will be in that community. And that's what
(17:19):
part of that local government aid is for so LGA
funding that comes from our taxes goes out to communities.
Part of that is ensuring public safety. And I had
a bill that I was introducing back in February of
twenty twenty, so go all the way back in your
mind before the world shut down. We knew that the
(17:41):
Minneapolis Police Department at that time was short over two
hundred officers.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
My bill at the time.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Which didn't get a hearing and it didn't get passed,
but it said that we would withhold a portion of
your LGA or local government aid if you did not
bring your complement of officers up to what is going
to be required by law. That didn't get any traction.
That was before we saw all of the defunding of
police movement. That's how much I supported both our law
(18:11):
enforcement but also the communities and the safety. I will
continue to work that way as governor of Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I want to get back to a couple of sort
of hot topics here, one being that the President of
the United States has come out very strongly against the
Somali community. He's I hear frustration out of the White House,
out of DC, I hear, but there, you know, some
of the language is tough. Where do you stand with
(18:45):
him and where do you diverge?
Speaker 1 (18:47):
You know, I think the language is tough, and I
recognize that, but I look back at it this way, Michelle.
If Governor Wallace had been taking fraud seriously and ending
fraud in the state of Minutes Minesota even while Biden
was president, if we needed help from the White House
while Biden was in office, we wouldn't be having these
(19:08):
same conversations Fraud and Minnesota would be over the fact
that it has gone unchecked for over seven years is
bringing frustration at every single level. This squarely is on
Governor Walls's shoulders for not handling our state budget and
the issue of fraud in a proper manner over his
time as governor.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
What about the lieutenant governor? What should she have known
and could she have done anything? Or is that just
a I mean, you have a ticket, you obviously have
decided on who you want to be your lieutenant governor.
Does does Peggy Flanagan have any any guilt here? Is
any of this on her?
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Well?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
The Walls Flanagan administration should have been handling this from
the very beginning, and they haven't. Because this is where
we find ourselves. That is why it was very important
to me to choose a running mate that was going
to be excellent qualifying for lieutenant governor, that we could
lead the state together early on, both through the campaigns
so people got to know us, but then also as
(20:10):
we go forward into actually being elected and then serving
in that administration. It has to be a partnership and
a priority. That's why you have a governor and lieutenant
governor to work together for the betterment of all Minnesota.
We haven't necessarily seen that over this current administration.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
I would agree with that. And you know, as much
as people want to talk about the a word affordability
and the economy, which are exceedingly important and all part
of a big picture, in my mind, to me, it
starts with public safety. If you can't feel safe in
your neighborhoods, in your schools, in your churches, in your
(20:49):
business offices on the streets, how can we possibly have
a thriving economy where people want to go out and
spend money and shop and go to rest staurants. That
to me seems to be the number one If you
started any community anywhere on the planet with ten people,
(21:09):
with two hundred people, it seems to me that their
first concern would be let's keep each other safe.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Exactly, and that's what we need here in Minnesota. I remember,
you know, I grew up in I was born in Paynesville,
and then we moved to the Metro when I was seven,
and we lived right off the lake in Chicago for
a number of years. But also being from Bloomington. As
a teenager, I was allowed to go downtown. I could
take the bus. It felt safe. I don't even feel
(21:38):
comfortable doing something like that right now as an adult,
necessarily because of what we've seen. You know, the work
from home and the extension of that has really made
our largest cities less populated on the regular. So when
you have less people, there is a feeling of less safety.
I was speaking earlier today with a group of building
(21:59):
owners and they were talking about these exact things. We
want people to come back to work in a way
that works best for the jobs that they have and
the businesses, but we need our communities to be safe.
We need our restaurants to be open, and that really
goes across the state. It's different in every little corner,
but that really grows across the state that if we
(22:20):
want a thriving economy, businesses need to be able to grow,
expand and stay here in Minnesota. And we know that
that also includes safety. It also includes really great schools
for families that are looking for great schools and great communities.
It's a bigger picture, and that's the part that we've
been missing. We can't silo all of these things. We
(22:41):
have to look at big picture overall.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
All, Right, what I've been asking each candidate that I've
had on and I don't want to say interviewed because
I like to feel like this is just a conversation.
But before we let you go, Lisa, Lisa Damoth rhymes
with Naymeath, give us your thirty second elevator pitch for
you as the next governor of the state of Minnesota.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Thank you for having me on today, Michelle. I believe
that Minnesota can be stronger and better than where we
find ourselves right now, both for today and for tomorrow,
for generations to come. I believe that our kids deserve
an excellent education. I believe that our businesses should thrive
and not be burdened by high taxes and overregulation. I
(23:29):
believe that families should be able to afford their lives,
and Minnesota can be an excellent place again. I'm Lisa Damuth.
I am running for governor to build a stronger and
better Minnesota together, all of us together.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Lisa, thank you so much for taking the time. We
really appreciate that. And I end every podcast by seeing saying,
be brave and do good. I think running for office
is one of the most courageous things a person can do,
and certainly I think almost everyone I've interviewed is doing
it so that they can do good. So I appreciate
you and we'll see you down the road.
Speaker 3 (24:03):
Excellent, Thank you, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
You can keep up with the Trump administration when you
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