Rand Paul asks why Minnesota goes after O'Keefe and Higby instead of the actual bad guys
Rand PaulU.S. senator from Kentucky, in a post on X
Sen. Rand Paul contrasts the charges against O'Keefe and Higby with Minnesota's social services and health care fraud scandals and asks whether the state has any interest in going after the actual bad guys.
Responding to
James O'Keefe and Cam Higby misrepresented their identities by giving election judges names of registered voters in the precinct without those voters' knowledge or permission.
“Massive, multi-million-dollar social services and healthcare fraud scandals, and yet Minnesota chooses to go after @JamesOKeefeIII and @camhigby. Any interest in going after the actual bad guys, Minnesota?”
Original post
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Hennepin County charges James O'Keefe and Cam Higby over Minneapolis vouching videos; O'Keefe says they never applied for a ballot
On October 28, 2026, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office charged James O'Keefe and Cam Higby with felony unlawful voting and identity theft. Prosecutors say the two men gave election judges at Minneapolis precincts the names of registered voters, without those voters' knowledge, while filming a video about Minnesota's vouching rules during the August 11 primary. O'Keefe says they never applied for a ballot and describes the work as journalism. Higby says no laws were broken.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Sen. Rand Paul's own post on X about the Minnesota charges against James O'Keefe and Cam Higby.
Reporting
About this source
Associated Press report on the charges, carried by WDBO. It summarizes Moriarty's news conference, the vouching process, the August 13 video, O'Keefe's written statement released that evening, a statement from O'Keefe Media Group, and comments from David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Paul posts two days after the Hennepin County Attorney's Office charged O'Keefe and Higby with felony unlawful voting and identity theft.
After the quotation
Paul's post is addressed to Minnesota and tags O'Keefe's and Higby's accounts on X.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is O'Keefe and Higby's conduct at Minneapolis polling places during the August 11 primary, where prosecutors say they gave election judges registered voters' names while asking about vouching. Paul objects to the prosecution, suggesting the two men are not the real wrongdoers, without addressing what they did at the polls.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- James O'Keefe, Cam Higby
More from this case
Read the full caseCam Higby says Minnesota charges journalists while sex offenders walk free
“In Minnesota it seems sex offenders walk free and journalists get charged and bombarded by the state.”Read statement
James O'Keefe says questioning polling officials is journalism, not a crime
“If that's a crime, anyone who speaks with a polling official and asks questions is also committing a crime. Journalism is not a crime.”Read statement
David Becker calls impersonating another voter a very serious crime
“Impersonating another voter is a very serious crime”Read statement
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- Rand Paul asks why Minnesota goes after O'Keefe and Higby instead of the actual bad guys
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/7719-sen-rand-paul-contrasts-the-charges-against-o
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The Dispute Index. "Rand Paul asks why Minnesota goes after O'Keefe and Higby instead of the actual bad guys". First published: 2026-11-01. Last updated: 2026-11-01. https://disputeindex.com/events/7719-sen-rand-paul-contrasts-the-charges-against-o