Dem-appointed education officials face new scrutiny as Feeding Our Future scandal widens, Trump targets fraud
New scrutiny has fallen on former Minnesota Department of Education leaders as the Feeding Our Future scandal tied to Gov. Tim Walz widens and President Donald Trump announces new measures...
By Fox News · Fox News
New scrutiny has fallen on former Minnesota Department of Education leaders as the Feeding Our Future scandal tied to Gov. Tim Walz widens and President Donald Trump announces new measures targeting fraud in the state. Feeding Our Future (FOF) was a Minnesota nonprofit that aimed to feed low-income children, though federal prosecutors claimed it illegally funneled more than $250 million in taxpayer funds to shell companies and people who used the money to purchase luxury cars, residential and commercial real estate, international travel and expensive jewelry. MDE was the government’s financial interlocutor responsible for approving and monitoring it. In 2018, MDE conducted its only administrative review of the child and adult care food program operations (CACFP) at FOF. According to a 120-page report from Minnesota Legislative Auditor Judy Randall and Special Reviews Director Katherine Theisen reviewed by Fox News Digital, MDE "failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and prior to the start of the alleged fraud." WALZ ‘DERELICT LEADERSHIP’ TO BLAME IN $1B FRAUD SCANDAL WITH 'HAUNTING REMINDS OF WATERGATE': GOP CHALLENGER MDE also "did not effectively exercise its authority to hold Feeding Our Future accountable to program requirements [and was] ill-prepared to respond to the issues it encountered with Feeding Our Future," the auditors found. During the period when the alleged scheme was forming, MDE was led by Brenda Cassellius through January 2019, when Walz took office. Walz then appointed Mary Cathryn Ricker—now at the Albert Shanker Institute, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers—to succeed her. Walz announced Ricker’s appointment on Dec. 20, 2018, and she formally began serving in 2019. Cassellius’ tenure fell during the initial approval of FOF and its 2018 administrative review. Ricker’s tenure notably fell during what the audit described as the pivotal moments in the timeline w…