Michele Tafoya says Peggy Flanagan “is hiding from the fraud” and “let it happen”
Michele TafoyaRepublican candidate for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, posting on her own X account
In a post on her campaign X account, Michele Tafoya said her opponent, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, “is hiding from the fraud” in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future scandal and “let it happen.” She said Minnesotans “have noticed,” pointing to polling showing the Senate race as “a statistical tie,” and said “people are done making excuses for their leaders.”
“Peggy Flanagan is hiding from the fraud. She let it happen. Minnesotans have noticed. That’s why this race is a statistical tie. I’ve been in every corner of this state, and I keep hearing the same thing: people are done making excuses for their leaders.”
Original post
Reporting
Other statements by Michele Tafoya in this case
- Tafoya links Flanagan to a friend’s autism-services center and alleges it is under fraud investigationLater: Defended or excused
- Tafoya says Flanagan deserves a pink slip rather than promotionLater: Condemned
- Tafoya demands answers as Minnesota fraud cases continueLater: Condemned
Where this statement fits
Michele Tafoya’s accusation that Peggy Flanagan is “hiding from” Minnesota’s welfare-fraud scandal
In a September 13, 2026 post, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya said her Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, “is hiding from the fraud” in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future scandal and “let it happen.” Feeding Our Future was a nonprofit that authorities said fraudulently obtained federal child-nutrition funds during the COVID-19 pandemic; its executive director, Aimee Bock, was convicted at trial in 2025. Flanagan was not charged and has not been accused of personally approving fraudulent payments. Asked about the scandal on the podcast Lovett or Leave It on September 20, Flanagan said fraud “is completely unacceptable,” that she supported a new independent inspector general’s office, and that Minnesota is “prosecuting fraudsters” while President Trump “is pardoning the fraudsters” who defraud Medicaid.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Michele Tafoya’s own post, published at 6:26 p.m. EDT on September 13, 2026 (2099263597314724139).
Reporting
About this source
Townhall’s report on Tafoya’s campaign messaging, published September 14, 2026, quoting her September 13 post and additional remarks.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Townhall reported that news coverage of Governor Tim Walz’s handling of fraud in Minnesota’s housing, Medicaid, autism, and Feeding Our Future programs had not mentioned Flanagan, and that Tafoya “did” mention her.
After the quotation
Tafoya’s post continued with a call to vote, linking to Minnesota’s absentee-voting information. Townhall separately reported additional remarks by Tafoya, including “Here’s a number that Peggy Flanagan doesn’t want you to see: 44 to 42.”
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Tafoya makes the accusation herself and presents it as settled fact (“she let it happen”), and argues that Minnesota voters are responding to it. That defends and presses the accusation rather than merely reporting it. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”; it loses because Tafoya states the accusation without qualification or condition.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Peggy Flanagan
More from this case
Read the full caseMatthews criticizes Flanagan's answers about fraud
“has claimed she had no knowledge of anything, and has played the dodge-and-weave game when asked about it in interviews”Read statement
Curtis says Flanagan's place in the Walz administration should count against her
“voters should be aware that she was part of the administration that allowed the theft of billions of taxpayer dollars.”Read statement
Morrissey calls for electoral accountability over fraud
“comfortable with fraud in other contexts for the last several years.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Michele Tafoya says Peggy Flanagan “is hiding from the fraud” and “let it happen”
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/1279-in-a-post-on-her-campaign-x-account
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Michele Tafoya says Peggy Flanagan “is hiding from the fraud” and “let it happen”". First published: 2026-09-20. Last updated: 2026-09-20. https://disputeindex.com/events/1279-in-a-post-on-her-campaign-x-account