After days of mounting outrage from conservatives and independent journalists, Pam Bondi issued what many are calling a damage-control statement in response to growing accusations that the DOJ allegedly sat on one of the largest fraud scandals in modern U.S. history, the billion-dollar Minnesota Somali fraud network that looted taxpayer-funded welfare, daycare, COVID, and Medicaid programs.

The statement came only after independent investigative reporter Nick Shirley exposed the staggering scope of the corruption, centered largely in Minnesota's Somali nonprofit ecosystem, and after conservatives erupted over the apparent lack of urgency from federal authorities while hundreds of millions vanished.

In her statement, Bondi acknowledged the work of independent journalists and attempted to assure Americans that the United States Department of Justice has been quietly investigating the fraud for months.

According to Bondi:

98 individuals have been charged

85 are of Somali descent

More than 60 have already been convicted

She warned lawmakers that "more prosecutions are coming," adding, "Buckle up."

Bondi praised U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and local Minnesota media for assisting in building cases.

Pam Bondi wrote on X:

MINNESOTA FRAUD:

@NickShirleyyy's work has helped show Americans the scale of fraud in Tim Walz's Minnesota.

@TheJusticeDept has been investigating this for months. So far, we have charged 98 individuals – 85 of Somali descent – and more than 60 have been found guilty in court.

We have more prosecutions coming… BUCKLE UP, LAWMAKERS!

I am incredibly grateful to our U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and @DMNnews for their dedicated and ongoing work to uncover this fraud and build strong cases against its perpetrators.