Fogelman criticizes timing of Walz's decision on DHS commissioner

Gov. Tim Walz's demotion of Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Shireen Gandhi just one day before she was scheduled to attend Minnesota Senate confirmation hearings is no coincidence, District 21B Rep. Marj Fogelman believes.

Said Fogelman in a press release: “By preventing her from attending a confirmation hearing, the Walz administration gets to avoid significant Senate – and media – scrutiny over its complete failure of handling fraud in this state. It’s yet another pathetic attempt by Gov. Walz to duck accountability on fraud.”

Fogelman noted that in Gandhi’s tenure as the DHS’s Chief Compliance Officer, she had been in the department for years while at least $9 billion had been swindled from state taxpayers. She was interim commissioner when the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) audited the Behavioral Health Administration - which is part of DHS – and found that state employees not only mismanaged money but also participated in a cover up by fabricating documents to cover their tracks.

"Instead of facing the music, Walz ordered a last-minute department reshuffle," added Fogelman (R-Fulda).