Walz impeachment articles drafted by Minnesota House lawmakers

Scrutiny over Minnesota fraud increases

Minnesota’s fraud scandal is back in the national spotlight centered around child care assistance programs after allegations of fraud throughout the state. FOX 9’s Soyoung Kim has the latest update.

(FOX 9) - Arguing that "[taxpayers] are demanding accountability of their elected officials," Minnesota House Republicans are set to introduce articles of impeachment against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz this legislative session.

Walz impeachment effort

What we know:

Rep. Mike Wiener has provided FOX 9 with impending articles of impeachment drafted by the Minnesota House Research Department.

The Minnesota Constitution provides House lawmakers with the power of impeachment, and the Senate with the power to try any impeachment efforts once passed.

According to the draft, "Timothy J. Walz has engaged in corrupt conduct in office by violating his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the laws of this state."

Four articles within the draft allege the following:

• Walz has violated his constitutional oath of office by knowingly concealing or permitting the concealment of widespread fraud within Minnesota state-administered programs, despite repeated warnings, audits, reports and public indicators of systematic abuse. Walz was made aware of substantial and ongoing fraud within State programs involving taxpayer funds and failed to take timely and effective action to hold such fraud despite possessing executive authority to do so.
• Walz violated his constitutional oath of office by actions and omissions that interfered with lawful oversight, investigation, or corrective action related to fraud in Minnesota state agencies. Walz failed to promptly direct executive agencies to fulfill cooperation with audits and investigations; permitted or tolerated resistance to legislative oversight or public transparency; failed to remove, discipline, or track senior officials responsible for overseeing programs later found to be fraudulent; and took action or permitted action that delayed corrective reforms while losses continued to mount.
• Walz failed to uphold his constitutional oath of office by placing political consideration above lawful administration, thereby breaching public trust. Walz prioritized preservation of political narratives over disclosure of known program failures; failed to act decisively to protect taxpayer funds once fraud became apparent; allowed executive agencies to continue operations without adequacy of guards after fraud risks were identified; and undermined public confidence in state government by failing to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Walz failed to uphold his constitutional oath of office by failing in his constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws of the State of Minnesota, particular laws governing stewardship of public funds; allowed statutory safeguards to be ignored or weakened;failed to ensure that state agencies complied with anti-fraud and accountability programs; and permitted continued violations of the law despite his knowledge of wrongdoing.

If ultimately approved, the resolution provides that Walz be "impeached for corrupt conduct in office."

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, currently Rep. Lisa Demuth — who is also running against Walz for governor — would ensure that "Walz is served with papers giving notice of the articles of impeachment as expeditiously as possible."

Rep. Wiener says currently 10 GOP lawmakers are also backing the effort.

A full copy of the impeachment draft can be found below:

What they're saying:

"The taxpayers have been frauded of an estimated $9 billion. They are demanding accountability of their elected officials," Rep. Wiener told FOX 9. "No one is above the law, and our constitution gives us the tools to hold the governor accountable for ‘corrupt conduct.’"

The other side:

A statement provided by the Office of Governor Walz provided the following statement to FOX 9: "These legislators are apparently trying to capitalize on the president’s vow for ‘retribution’ against the state. Respected career attorneys have resigned over the DOJ’s behavior. The federal government is attempting to pull billions from their constituents. It is shameful that this is how they’re choosing to spend their time, and we urge them to get serious."

What's next:

The Minnesota Legislature's 2026 session starts on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, with both the House and Senate convening at noon for their floor sessions.

To move forward with the impeachment, it would require a majority vote in the Minnesota House.

Even if approved, that would not mean Walz would be immediately removed from office.

Any impeachment would move to the Minnesota Senate, where it would require a two-thirds vote to remove him.