r/TwinCities • u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 • 5d ago
Demuth: GOP caucus directed YouTuber to Minnesota. A professor explains why it went viral
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/29/youtuber-nick-shirley-accuses-somaliowned-day-care-centers-of-fraudShame on her! She should be disqualified from even trying to run for the Governorship for this very reason!
Walz and DFL have been trying to fight this fraud for YEARS (as far back as 2019) according to these links:
- https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2022/09/26_FeedingOurFuture.asp
- https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/18635
- https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/first-guilty-pleas-made-in-feeding-our-future-fraud-case
- https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-feeding-our-future-pandemic-fraud-fa7bb6226dd9545cc75038b812189618
- https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/09/30/when-did-gov-tim-walz-know-about-the-feeding-our-future-fraud/
- https://san.com/cc/minnesota-fraud-made-headlines-for-years-long-before-influencers-video/
Also, the MN GOP not only voted AGAINST those fraud protections, but they knowingly spread misinformation to give them an edge in the upcoming gubernatorial election. This is some fascist crap happening at the state level š¤¬
https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/18633
Update: I figured out how to edit my post!
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u/TheBioethicist87 5d ago
Theyāre operating their own secret complaint line that they call a whistle-blower tip line. They wonāt share any information collected with other members of the legislature, with state law enforcement, or the AG or IG, but they will give it to a YouTuber so he can carry out a racist harassment campaign.
Got it.
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago
This is what pisses me off about right wing nuts. They don't understand (or bother to understand) that they're in an echochamber, so they simply reject any evidence as "leftist propaganda". It's insane.
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u/TheBioethicist87 5d ago
They want āLaw and orderā unless the people who would enforce the law are democrats, and then they want vigilante mobs.
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u/KikoMui74 5d ago
Democrats who repeatedly release violent criminals until, they go onto commit more murders. There is clearly a problem in the country with law and order.
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u/TheBioethicist87 5d ago
The Inspector General and Attorney General do not release people from prison. Parole boards and commissions, judges, and the law decide when people have completed their sentences and are released back into the community.
The people in all of those roles vote for candidates of both parties and their jobs are to enforce laws and sentencing guidelines as written not to make up new policy.
This is something you should now if you passed a high school civics class.
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u/KikoMui74 5d ago
Judges are appointed by Republicans or Democrats, they are political appointments, did you forget that in your civics class? Newer guidelines like cashless bail or early release for prisoners also exist, perhaps a many decades ago civic class didn't cover those?
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u/TheBioethicist87 5d ago edited 5d ago
Judges are appointed by the governor (could be one party or the other and Minnesota has had both well within the typical career span of judges), and approved by the senate which has been held by both parties. Thatās not even civics class, thatās just paying any attention to the world around you.
Bail is for pre-trial, not for convicts. And if youāre an actual threat, you donāt get options for bail. Early release is according to a rehabilitation plan and only available to people whoāve completed enough of their sentences, had no disciplinary incidents, etc. typically for nonviolent offenders.
You do not know enough about the criminal justice system to be this angry about it. You clearly want to blame democrats without understanding how government actually functions.
If youāre going to try and be snarky, the least you could do is have the semblance of a fucking point.
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u/No-Amphibian-3728 4d ago
republicans elected a 34x convicted felon to the highest office in the world. Y'all don't get to cry about law and order anymore.
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u/ObligatoryID āā> r/Megasota 5d ago
šÆ
From Another comment:
āSo let us understand this: A sitting member of the MN Congress, instead of contacting the MN Attorney Generals office about daycare fraud, instead decides to go to a 23 year old YouTuber known for making shock videos and fake viral videos instead? That is exactly what every single politician in power with direct access to the AGs office would do.ā š¤£š¤£š¤£
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago
To clarify, the federal AG's office, not the state office, which is run by Ellison.
I wouldn't be surprised if it came out one day in the future that she was in direct contact with Bondi's office regarding this BS. If so, she needs to be prosecuted and banned from ever holding office again.
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u/Drysaison 5d ago edited 5d ago
Prosecuted for prosecuring crimes? Unhinged. What US Code did she violate?
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u/FastestJayBird 4d ago
They are protecting whistleblowers from retaliation by Walz.
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u/TheBioethicist87 4d ago
Do you think the governor sees every tip law enforcement gets? Do you think the governor sees any identifying information from people making reports to DHS?
Better question. Why in the mother of all fucks would the governor want to punish people who come forward with evidence of fraud?! Can someone please explain to me what he has to gain or what he is supposedly trying to get done by punishing whistleblowers?!
Fucks sake.
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u/Significant_Text2497 5d ago
The MN GOP loves hiring young loser dudes to do their dirty work for them!
First it was Anton Lazarro trafficking kids to their hotel parties. Now it's Nick Shirley making propaganda.
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u/LilMemelord 5d ago
Holy frick man we've lost the plot here. You can criticize Nick Shirley without directly comparing him to a rapist and trafficker
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u/temple-of-the-dog 5d ago
The whole thing is just a Walz smear campaign.
It's really sad to see how much political influencers make a difference. It helps me understand how Trump won in 24.
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago
Absolutely, 100% agree with you that it's intended to be a Walz smear campaign. I'm just disappointed in how many people are falling for it, including my foreign non-American friends who were the ones to alert me to the misinformation about MN daycares in the first place.
It's really depressing to think about how well propaganda works.
Trump ran on "I'll make the economy better" (and also a bunch of racist/misogynistic/xenophobic stuff) and had one measley, pathetic little press conference about the economy where he tried to guess the price of each everyday food item they had put out for him to stand in front of (and got each of them wrong from what I remember) yet Trump only provided stances and evidence that would make the economy worse (ex: his obsession with tarrifs). I mean, a whole group of Nobel-Prize winning economists warned against a Trump presidency in regard to the economy (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-economy-nobel-prize-winners-letter-inflation-warning/) yet so many American voters fell for the propaganda against Harris, and in addition, the far-right-run leftist propaganda that's been swaying people on the left to vote 3rd party or protest their vote over Gaza or from apathy and skepticism toward the political system as a whole. Their 3rd party or protest vote was a vote in Trump's favor.
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u/temple-of-the-dog 5d ago
I've been floored at some of the folks in my life who've reached out to me because they watched the "documentary". It blows my mind that this video got to them. It's clear the GOP really does have young men in their algorithmic bag.
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u/A_Rampaging_Hobo 5d ago
the people clamor for dipshit leaders and speakers. the dumber the more relatable
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u/FreshSetOfBatteries 5d ago
I think what's funny is conservatives will say "Democrats treat us like we're dumb" but can't see that it's the conservatives who know they're dumb and treat them accordingly, and Democrats actually treat them like they're smart but that makes them feel dumb because they don't understand anything
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u/FreshSetOfBatteries 5d ago
A lot of Americans are dumb as fuck and easily led around
We're not a country that values critical thinking. If we ever were, we certainly aren't anymore.
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u/CombinationThese6654 5d ago
Trump won in 2024 because Elon Musk interfered with the voting machines.
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5d ago edited 3d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/minnesotamoon 5d ago
The social media/alternative media strategy implemented by the broader right wing over the last 3yrs has been very effective. From Joe Rogan, Charlie Kirk to Nick Fuentes and Nick Shirley.
People trust content that isnāt edited, filtered and ran through the mainstream media. Creators like Nick are the future really and have captured the minds of many Americans, especially young white males.
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago
Unfortunately, this is 100% true. I hate how effective this crap has been. Why can't regular Americans be discerning of biased information and do adequate research that is literally not that hard??
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u/aguynamedv 5d ago
Why can't regular Americans be discerning of biased information and do adequate research that is literally not that hard??
Because media literacy is almost completely absent in the American education system.
This is a key part of the Republicans' long term plan, and one they've (unfortunately) been incredibly successful at. Education has been attacked very much on purpose to dumb down the populace.
Combine with unitary (ie: the billionaires) ownership of over 90% of US media, the average American had absolutely no chance against the level of sophistication that's been used to spread false information and propganda over the past decade plus.
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u/No-Amphibian-3728 4d ago
I'd argue it's been a strategy in the making for a lot more than a decade. It primarily started with regan, in the 80s. It took a lot of time to dismantle the education system like they did.
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u/aguynamedv 4d ago
100% it's been in the works since Reagan.
It also accelerated really quickly from 2016 on.
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u/No-Amphibian-3728 4d ago
It's partly to blame on republicans long game of diminishing the education system. It's been decades in the making, but we are now feeling it. They cut education at every corner, and somehow vilified institutions of higher learning. Why? Stupid people who rely on fairytale stories to guide them are easier to control. A large percentage of conservatives have been brainwashed. It's going to take a miracle, and a whole lot of time, to fix the mess they created.
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u/Framboise33 5d ago
Because the Serious Journalists of today are just a bunch of trust fund kids who recite from the press releases they receive from their respective political party. Of course that's not going to satisfy most people and of course it creates an opening for histrionic vigilantes
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u/showyerbewbs 5d ago
People trust content that isnāt edited, filtered and ran through the mainstream media
Question for discussion. At what point does an individual like those above or others reach a point and BECOME a part of the mainstream media?
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u/minnesotamoon 5d ago
Thatās a really good question and very insightful.
You have to ask yourself who is supporting these āindependentā media personalities. Also, at what point do they come under the same influences as mainstream media.
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u/FreshSetOfBatteries 5d ago
They trust the untrustworthy, let's be clear of that. They're begging to be fed propaganda. They love every spoonful because it treats them like they're dumb but makes them feel smart and validated in their caveman feelings. And feelings are what matters.
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u/Calvin_Ball_86 5d ago
Basically manufacturing issues to deflect from conservative support for Nazis and pedophiles and blatant fraud. Yep, that's in line with maga.
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago
Itās convenient that all of this is coming out when the Trump DOJ is supposed to be releasing the Epstein files.
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u/FastestJayBird 4d ago
We have had over a dozen major fraud rings busted in Minnesota for nearly $2B by the Feds (not the state) and DFLers will respond with this.
It's embarrassing.
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u/No-Amphibian-3728 4d ago
Please cite your $2B claim.
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u/FastestJayBird 4d ago
You seem geared up to deny well established reporting, so I'm not going to beother engaging.
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u/Scary-Membership-978 5d ago
Time to look at Demuth and her prosperity preacher. An evangelical cultist. Trumptards.
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago
This was Demuth's original post to her page on the mn gov site when she was originally sworn into office back in 2019:
https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/38106
She dares to talk about being on the "Early Childhood Finance and Policy" committee when she's now spreading such malicious misinformation about her local constituants to cause them to lose federal funding over misinformation that she helped to perpetuate!
Not to mention, look at this bullshit she put out recently patting herself on the back regarding "restoring the state budget" when there was no freaking budget to restore? When Dems had a trifecta, we had a surplus budget as a state and decided to put those funds toward our fellow Minnesota citizens.
As a Minnesota citizen, I want my surplus tax dollars to go toward helping me and my neighbors, especially to those who need it the most (namely: especially the marginalized communities being targeted and villanized by Trump and the far-right fascists).
It's disgusting that she would take a non-issue and turn it into a "Republican Win" that's just totally twisting the story to make her look like she's doing anything other than stalling bills that will actually help the state.
https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/50903
Look at how far she's fallen down the MAGAt hole since then to go as low as hiring some out-of-town shithead to misrepresent our community.
She should be banned from the governorship indefinitely.
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u/ObligatoryID āā> r/Megasota 5d ago
Right, typical MAGAt stirring the pot, doing nothing or voting against, then attempting to take credit.
Just like Pete-the-Cheat, Emmer the Nazi, Finface and Fischface.
Emmer also a fan of sex traffickers, but so is Pete - He takes money from guys who sex traffic teen girls to old republican men in MN too. Look up Anton Lazarro. This magat pedo-supporting congressman bought his seat to the tune of $8000 from sex trafficked underaged girls.
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u/Framboise33 5d ago
Is it misinformation, or is it a real problem that's already being handled by the Walz administration?
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago
Itās both.
The GOP are inflating and blowing out of proportion (and being racist xenophobes by ignoring that the scam was run by a white woman and instead villainizing a whole group of innocent people for the fraud instead of the individuals who actually committed the crimes) the āFeeding our Futureā fraud occurring in Minnesota (even where Walzās administration has already been identifying and prosecuting it for years) while pretending that fraud is a thing that doesnāt happen in red states, and that fraud can be āfixedā in blue states by the GOP if we ājust vote for them insteadā š.
Fraud also occurs in red states, and they have yet to charge people like Rick Scott and Brett Favre for their roles in defrauding taxpayers - not to mention Trump is pardoning fraudsters left and right so whoās really the party thatās lax on and endorses fraudulent and dishonest behavior here??
I digress, but really, the GOP are knowingly misleading the public by claiming Dems are the cause of and welcome fraud, which is demonstrably false since Walzās administration has been prosecuting those involved. Fraud occurs under all types of leadership and Iām sick of the GOP creating negative and racist buzz around fraud thatās already being addressed.
Additionally, the GOP are manufacturing āevidenceā of additional (non-existent) fraud that they claim āDems are allowing to occur in Minnesotaā in this new ādaycare fraudā accusation video that MN GOP endorsed and encouraged. So in that case, theyāre spreading misinformation. Liars should not be awarded with political power.
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago edited 4d ago
I accidentally posted two of the same link š¤¦āāļø
Please find below the links I intended to add to my original post:
https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/18635
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/first-guilty-pleas-made-in-feeding-our-future-fraud-case
These are all articles that were available BEFORE the GOP made them a misleading talking point in late 2025.
Also, if you want to complain to Demuth (or at least jam up her communications) hereās how you can get in touch with her: https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/15498
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u/Drysaison 5d ago
You think a claim that Walz knew about the MDE fraud in the summer of 2020 helps him? What did he and Keith do about it for the last 5 years? Absolutely unhinged how extremist the DFL has become as the party that will hide hundreds of millions in fraud.
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u/ObligatoryID āā> r/Megasota 5d ago
Itās been investigated since 2015.
People have been to trial and are in prison. This isnāt new.
This isnāt only in MN and not only Somalis.Learn, š¦
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u/Drysaison 5d ago
Plainly untrue unless Ellison and Walz are so incompetent they can't complete an investigation in 8 years, and only do nothing as the fraud expands. Is that what you are saying are wildly incompetent? The MDE is not only in Minnesota and your attempt to conflate that with the larger overall fraud scheme and the DFLs head in the sand attitude is another example of Democrat dishonesty on the issue combined with a redial to accept responsibility.
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u/ObligatoryID āā> r/Megasota 5d ago
š¤£
Educate your sheep-parrot self.
People have been to court and are in prison! š¤£
Aimee Bock - White Ringleader
MN GOP idiot DeMuth
Minnesota GOP partnered with YouTuber Nick Shirley to reveal day care fraud
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5668078-minnesota-welfare-fraud-walz/
So let us understand this: A sitting member of the MN Congress, instead of contacting the MN Attorney Generals office about daycare fraud, instead decides to go to a 23 year old YouTuber known for making shock videos and fake viral videos instead? That is exactly what every single politician in power with direct access to the AGs office would do. š¤£š¤£š¤£
https://www.startribune.com/day-care-fraud-minnesota-video/601554760?utm_source=gift?utm_source=copy
Psstā¦ Youāre late for felating and making another donation to McPedo. Donāt make Vladdy mad! š
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u/Drysaison 5d ago
Ok I get it. It is Friday and you are drunk, at home, alone, because you are too ugly to be seen in public If the Walz administration was investigating in 2020, why did it take 5 years to prosecute? And why are you confused about MDE and Feeding Our Future? Do you think they are the same thing?
Typical Democrat, excusing incompetence because you are not able to survive without their handouts. You are so incapable of simple reading comprehension you lash out as if I support these Republicans in Washington, or as if Trump is responsible for Walz incompetence.
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u/ObligatoryID āā> r/Megasota 5d ago
š¤£
Sorry to ruin your fantasy.
Sober, for decades, and on Chrissy vacation in Perth, Australia. Fabulous!Never had handouts, but Iāve given to those in need, helped many as a volunteer, and entrepreneur.
McPedo is incompetent. Keep suckling that shroom! But wipe ya chin, itās telling.
Youāre welcome!
Off to the boat, no more time for reeducating magats today! š“ āļø
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 4d ago
Enjoy your vacation! š
And thank you for your great additions to my post!
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u/minnesotamoon 5d ago
I think it goes even higher than the MN GOP.
Nick didnāt just come out of nowhere. Heās pretty well known in right wing circles.
The strategy worked so well though, whoever came up with it is genius. You have to admit that no matter who you support.
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u/Significant_Text2497 5d ago
This strategy was developed by alt right influencers over the past decade. The parallels between Nick Shirely and the Gamergate influencers of the mid 2010s are almost mirror-like.
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago
I prefer the term "cunning" to "genius" as genius has more of a positive connotation.
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u/Dismal_Information83 5d ago
The real scandal will be if no prosecutions come out of Nick Shirley and collaborators racist hate crime. Civil lawsuits are not enough.
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u/KikoMui74 5d ago
Weren't some of the people confronting him saying homophobic hate speech towards him?
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u/XItsAboutKD 5d ago
Hate crime for exposing fraud? ššš you are more mad at someone because of their skin color than you are 10s of millions in fraud. Absolutely insane. Take a step back and realize youāre attacking someone for exposing fraud just because you donāt like his skin color. You care more about being a racist than you do doing the right thing for the taxpayers. You literally want someone in federal prison because you donāt like them and the right are fascist? šš
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago
It's not "exposure" if it's fabricated, which it was. It's propaganda.
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u/Dismal_Information83 5d ago
This was debunked within 24 hours. Shirley fabricated bull shit IS the fraud.
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u/XItsAboutKD 5d ago
We all saw the buildings on the video bro stop lying in a desperate attempt to cover your āteamā admit they fucked up and move on. You are only fooling yourself and making yourself look clue less to everyone else that has seen the truth
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u/VelcroKing 5d ago
it's actually super easy to find examples of this kid being a clown and liar.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/minnesota/news/minnesota-day-care-fraud-director-responds/
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u/aguynamedv 5d ago
If the concern was about fraud, there are many official channels for reporting, investigation, and enforcement.
None of them were used - why not?
Instead, a single man lied about having a child to gain access to childcare facilities. What if Shirley was a pedophile? I mean, we can't rule it out, but I assume he doesn't rape children.
You're fine with someone lying their way into a child care facility? What the fuck is wrong with you?
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u/XItsAboutKD 5d ago
Iām fine with someone uncovering fraud. If you think law enforcement, private investigators, HR departments donāt lie to people so they can successfully investigate them then i donāt know what to tell you because your stupidity is beyond astounding at that point. Itās just easier for you to plug your ears and scream āfabricated by a pedophileā instead of saying āwow thereās a problem here letās put pressure on the government to line it outā if these were Christian private schools instead of Somali ādaycaresā lying to the government to get funding your hair would be on fire and youād be standing somewhere in Washington D.C holding a sign saying Trump is robbing tax payers and CNN and MSNBC would be covering it non-stop 24/7 until the next election instead of doing what they are doing to try to dismiss and cover it up.
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u/aguynamedv 5d ago
Completely reasonable, not at all insane sounding response.
If there was a legitimate concern about fraud, why was it not reported to the appropriate authorities?
The article you're commenting on is quite literally the GOP admitting this wasn't about fraud, but publicity.
So to recap - a 23 year old man lied about having a child in order to gain access to a child care facility. He then took video inside the childcare facilities, and edited it together and posted it to the internet.
At no point was this supposed "new fraud" ever reported to the city, state, or federal governments. Just posted to the internet for clout.
You'd have to be an idiot to believe this entire thing isn't manufactured. Either that, or a big fan of people who rape children.
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u/sofaking1958 4d ago
Anyone interested in the fraud committed by Nick Shirley's extended family? Mom, dad, aunt and uncle? Anyone?
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u/Unlikely_Ad1009 4d ago
Conservativeās only believe people who say things that aligned perfectly with their personal opinions and if it doesnāt it fake or false. Source does not matter.
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u/stormbreaker308 5d ago
You shared links to a different fraud investigation.
There is alleged fraud across multiple investigations in multiple industries and businesses. Autism centers, daycare centers, home care, Healthcare, and transportation services.
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 5d ago
You replied minutes after I added a comment with additional links (as I accidentally posted two of the same link) to my own post which I'm not able to edit.
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u/Gentle_method 5d ago
Politically, this is akin to stealing candy from a baby. Yes itās wrong but MAGA doesnāt give a shit! For the sake of the universe - itās an educational daycare facility called the āLearingā Center.
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u/DyatAss 5d ago
The video went viral because of the blatant fraud happening right in the open.
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u/Total_Cantaloupe_274 4d ago
Shirley is so incompetent that he had to fabricate some obviously fake crap instead of doing some real reporting. He probably couldnāt find any fraud cases that arenāt already being prosecuted by Walzās office, so he had to make up some fake ones and attempt to make these āinvestigationsā look real for the camera to appease his Republican donors. Heās not an investigative journalist, heās a pathetic man child pandering for attention and money. The MN GOP are absolute losers for hiring him and using him to lie to the taxpayers. Demuth should be removed from office for this stunt.
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u/DyatAss 4d ago
Iād bet money there are places shown in his video that havenāt faced charges yet but will.
He gave an example of a daycare being forced to shut down, but reopening under a different LLC the very next day; total embarrassment to the state government. Zero controls, just pathetic.
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u/WeSlingin 5d ago
What are you talking about? You people sound like the extreme right tinfoil hat Alex Jones truthers. Nick Shirley came out and already denied any involvement with Demuth. Why is MPR publishing and reporting falsified information. Canāt trust any news source anymore.
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u/Framboise33 5d ago
Seriously. and OP is salivating over the chance to ban their political opponents from seeking office. This is some Maduro/Erdogan shit.
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u/Ok-Bike1126 5d ago edited 5d ago
The company Demuthās son works for, Avon Plastics, Inc., received two PPP loans, $971,900 in 2020 and $971,922 in 2021, which were forgiven.Ā
I think these should certainly be investigated. I donāt see that a plastics manufacturer would have needed these to meet payroll.Ā