Republicans Are All In on Boosting Fraud Allegations in California

A period after the Trump medication began its migration enforcement cognition successful Minneapolis, right-wing creators are turning their attraction to a caller people successful hunt of fraud: California.

Over the past fewer weeks, right-wing creators who were instrumental successful boosting the Minnesota fraud allegations that predated the administration’s surge of national migration agents person been going aft a fig of California’s societal payment programs, making unsubstantiated accusations of fraud—and perchance laying the groundwork for a akin national crackdown successful the nation’s largest Democrat-run state. They’re already getting enactment from immoderate of President Donald Trump’s cardinal allies too.

Nick Shirley, the right-wing influencer whose viral YouTube video claimed to uncover a purported $100 cardinal fraud strategy involving Somali childcare centers successful Minnesota, posted to Instagram implicit the play announcing his accomplishment successful California. “Secrets out,” Shirley wrote successful an Instagram communicative acceptable to Katy Perry’s “California Gurls.” It’s unclear what precisely Shirley plans to do, but helium claims to beryllium “investigating” Somali-run childcare centers successful California arsenic well, according to posts that circulated connected X implicit the weekend.

Shirley is moving with Amy Reichert, a backstage researcher and failed person who claims to beryllium investigating “ghost daycares” successful California. In his Minnesota video, Shirley “investigated” the fraud by showing up to daycares asking to spot children. He appears to beryllium applying the aforesaid method successful San Diego. Reichert posted a representation with Shirley to X connected Saturday, penning “California, present we come! When @nickshirlye drops the video, it’s going to beryllium 🔥.” (Local Minnesota outlets published aggregate stories covering childcare fraud years earlier Shirley’s video came out.)

On Sunday, Benny Johnson, a pro-Trump creator and Turning Point USA contributor, published his ain “documentary,” successful a akin vein to what Shirley filmed successful Minnesota. In it, helium claimed to uncover a multimillion-dollar “homeless concern complex” successful California. Johnson teamed up with 2 Republican gubernatorial candidates, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton, a erstwhile advisor to UK premier curate David Cameron, successful the video, which they claimed was an effort to uncover fraudulent uses of national backing to enactment California’s unhoused. Johnson besides claimed that the authorities was “using these national dollars to rig nationalist elections.”

California politician Gavin Newsom’s bureau rejected the claims Johnson made successful an X station connected Sunday, calling the video “literally the conspiracy mentation meme successful existent life.”

Johnson’s astir caller video attempts to assertion that California’s stateless shelters are chiefly filled with undocumented immigrants. His main portion of grounds is simply a telephone telephone with a purported “whistleblower” whose individuality was concealed. (Newsom’s bureau responded to this claim, calling it “as existent arsenic our Free Unicorn for each undocumented radical program.”)

The aforesaid week Johnson announced that helium would beryllium traveling to California to uncover “fraud,” Trump called California “more corrupt” than Minnesota successful a station connected Truth Social. “Fraud Investigation of California has begun,” Trump wrote. Last week, Trump named a caller adjunct lawyer general, Colin McDonald, to absorption connected fraud investigations astatine the Justice Department.

Other ample pro-Trump accounts and quality outlets, similar Real America’s Voice, are boosting Johnson’s caller video. Larry Elder, speech vigor big and erstwhile statesmanlike candidate, reposted the video connected X connected Tuesday, penning “Fraud successful California makes that of Minnesota look similar a starter kit.”

Elon Musk, who Shirley thanked for initially boosting his December Minnesota video, has besides been elevating quality sum related to California fraud. “Truly insane levels of fraud!” Musk said, reposting a communicative from Fox News earlier this week.