Minnesota Lt. Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan was seen on a Somali TV station wearing a hijab at a mall, as a widespread fraud scandal implicating some Somalis plagues the state.

“The Somali community is part of the fabric of the state of Minnesota,” Flanagan said, looking into the camera.

For Muslim women, wearing a hijab is typically a sign of obedience to God and worn to show modesty. 

Flanagan has previously stated that she is Catholic and says on her campaign website that her “view on immigration is grounded in her Catholic faith.”

ILHAN OMAR DEFENDS MEALS ACT DESPITE TIES TO MASSIVE MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME

The lieutenant governor is challenging two other Democratic candidates in the primary race to fill the seat of outgoing Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. Former Democratic presidential candidate and current Sen. Amy Klobuchar serves as the other senator from the state.

Flanagan’s far-left views also prompted her to wear a “Protect Trans Kids” shirt with a knife on it in August in a viral video telling parents: “When our children tell us who they are, it’s our job as grown-ups to listen and believe them.”

Minnesota Rep. and House Republican Whip Tom Emmer also weighed in on Flanagan wearing a hijab, calling the act a “stunt.”

“Peggy Flanagan and Angie Craig are battling it out in an attempt to win over the far-left radicals in the Twin Cites,” Emmer told Fox News Digital. “Anyone with common sense sees right through this stunt.”

In 2022, federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota began probing a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, an organization which fueled what the Justice Department said is one of the largest pandemic relief fraud schemes in history.

‘EPICENTER OF FRAUD’: MINNESOTA’S EMPTY STOMACHS, FAKE AUTISM THERAPY AND A SCANDAL THAT COULD TOP $2 BILLION 

Since the investigation began, $250 million in fraudulent claims have led to 78 individuals charged as part of what prosecutors say is a sizable $9 billion fraud scheme. 

Many of the individuals charged come from the Somali community in Minnesota.

More than 400 Minnesota state employees spoke out about the issue, pointing fingers at former vice presidential candidate and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for negligence in acting on warnings and indicators of fraud and retaliation against whistleblowers who attempted to expose the scandal.

LAWMAKERS PROBE SBA LOANS LINKED TO MINNESOTA’S $9B FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘RECKLESS DECISION MAKING’ 

Walz has been pushed to address the issue on several occasions, admitting in a New York Times interview that the programs may have been overly generous.

“The programs are set up to move the money to people,” Walz said last month. “The programs are set up to improve people’s lives, and in many cases, the criminals find the loopholes.”

Walz set up a new anti-fraud task force as part of a crackdown. “The message here in Minnesota is if you commit a crime, if you commit fraud against public dollars, you are going to go to prison,” he told the Times.

The House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into Walz’s handling of the relief program at the beginning of December. 

“This massive amount of fraud is affecting and impacting every citizen of Minnesota because they’re having to cut services because so much of the money for social programs was wasted and defrauded by this Somali population,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” earlier this week. 

Comer plans to subpoena testimony and records, setting the stage for a potential blockbuster hearing.

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President Donald Trump took swift action when the news broke and terminated deportation protections for Somali nationals living in Flanagan’s state “effectively immediately” in November after news of the fraud scandal broke. 

“Send them back to where they came from,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “It’s OVER!”

Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan and Walz but did not receive responses.

Fox News’ Adriana James-Rodil contributed to this report.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Breakthru Beverage Missouri and Jameson Whiskey are partnering on New Year’s Eve to provide 500 safe, free rides across Missouri.

Starting at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, through 2 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 1, Missourians in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia and Springfield can use the code “BBGMONYE25″ in the Lyft app.

The code will provide a free ride up to $30 and can be claimed starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

The rides are offered through the “Safe Home After Every Occasion” program. The program has provided more than 100,000 Missourians with a free ride home since its creation in 2011.

“We believe communities are strongest when we work together to promote responsibility and Breakthru is proud to support programs like this that champion responsible consumption,” said Scott Johnson, Executive Vice President of Breakthru Missouri.

“As New Year’s Eve celebrations get underway, we encourage everyone to plan ahead and take advantage of this program to get home safely.”

Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.

The remains of a missing Nebraska mom have been found nearly 18 months after she vanished, with a suspect in her homicide already in custody on unrelated charges, according to authorities.

Jerica Hamre, 30, was reported missing in July 3 last year when she failed to pick up her two daughters, now age 9 and 10, from her parents in Lincoln.

Police quickly declared that she was missing under “suspicious circumstances,” and carried out a massive, “unwavering” search “over 1,000 square miles of timber, lakes, rivers, and farmland,” Lincoln police Captain Ben Miller said at a press conference.

However, her body was finally found by accident when someone preparing a farm for sale found a body in one of its sheds in Furnas County, near Oxford, nearly a 3-hour drive southwest of Lincoln. The remains have since been confirmed to be the missing mom.

“Our hearts break for Jerica’s family and friends, who for the past 18 months have been searching for answers,” Miller said, confirming it is being investigated as a homicide.

The body “had been there for quite some time,” the police captain said, while stressing that the owners of the farm are not tied to Hamre or suspects in the case.

“We do have a person of interest in custody on unrelated charges,” Miller said, stressing that there was no further threat to the community.

He did not identify the suspect nor give details on what they were currently in custody for, beyond repeating that the other charges are “totally unrelated to this case.” He also did not elaborate on how they became a suspect nor a motive or cause of death.

“It’s not the outcome any of us wanted — our hearts are broken for her family and loved ones,” the department said on Facebook.