John Guthmann eviscerates Tim Walz, MDE

It's difficult picturing Tim Walz suffering through a more difficult week than the week that's ending. To recap what happened, Andrew Luger, the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, "announced federal criminal charges against 47 defendants for their alleged roles in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic." The bad news for Minnesota's DFL governor is that that's just the start of Tim Walz's problems.

After the indictment announcement broke, Walz told Fox9 News that he wanted Judge John Guthmann investigated. Friday night, Judge Guthmann had had enough. He issued this statement through Minnesota's court system. Judge Guthmann's statement opens by saying "Due to inaccurate statements by the Governor, the Commissioner of Education, and the media regarding the investigation of Feeding Our Future (FOF) and resulting federal indictments, Ramsey County District Court Judge John H. Guthmann has authorized the issuance of this news release."

Ladies and gentlemen, that isn't the typical Friday night document dump. Theo Keith, Fox9's chief political reporter, posted this tweet that includes Judge Guthmann's statement. Judge Guthmann cut to the heart of the matter when he said this:

The Department of Education suspended payments to FOF based on a “serious deficiencies” letter it issued to FOF on March 30, 2021. As a result, FOF filed a motion asking Judge Guthmann to order the Department of Education to resume payments and to pay sanctions. Judge Guthmann never ordered the Department of Education to resume payments to FOF in April 2021, or at any other time.

Thereafter, the Department of Education voluntarily resumed making payments to FOF. The Department of Education was not ordered by the court to do so. After the Department resumed voluntary payments, counsel for the Department of Education wrote the court asking that FOF’s motion for sanctions based on non-payment be denied as moot because the Department voluntarily resumed payments. In a later court filing related to FOF’s separate motion for sanctions based on the failure to approve or deny 144 applications for new food delivery sites, the Department of Education advised the court that FOF’s serious deficiencies were resolved as of June 4, 2021. Of the 144 applications, 143 were denied, resulting in FOF’s separate administrative appeal.

Theo Keith's final statements in this video should frighten Tim Walz and Ken Martin:

Keith said "The judge appears to be getting the last word this week. We will pick it back up again next week."

Kurt Daudt issued this statement:

"Gov. Walz and the Department of Education have told Minnesotans for months that a judge ordered them to resume sending money to the Feeding our Future fraudsters. The judge’s statement makes clear that was a lie. Minnesotans deserve immediate answers about why payments resumed and why the Walz administration misled the public."

Roger Chamberlain released the following statement:

"The statement today from Judge John H. Guthmann is shocking. Over the course of three Senate hearings, we heard from the Walz administration and were left with few answers, lots of finger pointing, and no semblance of responsibility. Time and time again, Walz and his administration said they had been ordered to pay Feeding our Future by Judge Guthmann and had no other options. Judge Guthmann’s statement makes plain today that was not true.

"Good government relies on the trust between elected officials and the people. Today that trust is being questioned by every Minnesotan. Governor Walz needs to explain why he and his administration were not honest with the people they serve. There are many more questions than answers."

From Fox9's reporting:

Guthmann, issuing a nearly 600-word statement through a court spokesman at 4:41 p.m. Friday, said Walz and Minnesota Education Commissioner Heather Mueller repeatedly have made inaccurate statements to the public about the judge's 2021 order.

"The Department of Education voluntarily resumed payments and informed the court that [Feeding Our Future] resolved the "serious deficiencies" that prompted it to suspend payments temporarily," Guthmann said. "All of the Minnesota Department of Education food reimbursement payments to [Feeding Our Future] were made voluntarily, without any court order."

It's too early to tell what impact this bombshell will have on the gubernatorial race but it isn't too early to say that Judge Guthmann's statement has the potential to cost Walz his reelection. Further, it'll be interesting to see how DFL State Party Chair Ken Martin reacts to this. If Martin gives a full-throated defense of Walz, he could cost most of the DFL ticket. If he offers a half-hearted defense of Walz, he weakens Walz heading into the closing stretch. Finally, Judge Guthmann's statement eviscerates Minnesota's Department of Education's credibility.