A video purporting to expose extensive fraud at child care centers in Minnesota shows the relationship between the Trump administration and self-described citizen journalists.
A 43-minute video posted online in the past week, purporting to expose extensive fraud at Somali-run child care centers in Minnesota, has been viewed by millions of people. It has also set off a series of events that show the symbiotic relationship between the Trump administration and self-described citizen journalists.
It was posted to X and YouTube the day after Christmas by Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old who has made a name for himself in the past two years by producing viral content that aligns with MAGA policies. In the video, Mr. Shirley is accompanied by a man identified only as David, who claims to have uncovered fraud worse than “anywhere else ever in history.”
Specifically, the man says he has identified dozens of child care and autism centers receiving millions of dollars in state funding without caring for any children.
The New York Times could not verify the claims made in the video. Mainstream news sites have reported on cases of social services fraud in Minnesota for years, including a 2,200-word article in The Times last month. But Mr. Shirley’s video hit a nerve, generating attention from conservative media outlets like Fox News and praise from top Republican officials. “This dude has done far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 @pulitzercenter prizes,” Vice President JD Vance posted on X on Saturday.
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security launched an investigation into the centers. On Tuesday evening, Jim O’Neill, the deputy secretary of health and human services, said on X that the federal government had “frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota.”