'He's pardoned convicted fraudsters': James Walkinshaw questions Donald Trump's fight against fraud

Rep. James Walkinshaw dismissed President Donald Trump's claims of stopping fraudulent practices in American programs, asserting that the President is not serious about addressing fraud. Speaking in the House of Representatives, Walkinshaw claimed that the President fired 19 Inspectors General, whose job was to identify and prevent fraud. Additionally, he claimed that Trump dismantled a non-partisan training program that trained future federal fraud investigators, all while pardoning those who were convicted fraudsters.

"President Trump pardoned convicted fraudsters, fired 19 Inspectors General who collectively uncovered over $50 billion in fraud and waste in a single year. He defunded a non-partisan training program that prepares the next generation of federal fraud investigators. You can't claim to be serious about preventing fraud, whether you have a task force or not, while you are dismantling the institutions built to catch people who commit fraud," he said.

Walkinshaw is not the only Democratic politician calling out the President for pardoning fraudsters. Melanie D'Arrigo shared a Forbes article that reported that the President met with Indian billionaire Gautam Adani before the Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped all charges against him. "Trump, convicted of fraud, has pardoned over 70 people who were also convicted of fraud, most of whom are donors and business associates," she wrote on X, before claiming that the White House was for sale.

The President's $1.7 billion anti-weaponisation fund may also soon come under investigation for fraud, as 23 Democratic state Attorneys General have asked a federal judge in Miami to probe the scheme, which would have given money to those who believed they were mistreated by previous administrations from the fund. The Attorneys General asked the court to "rectify the fraud perpetrated upon the Court & deter future misconduct."

The Trump administration, for its part, is taking a strong stance against fraud. On Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department has charged hundreds of alleged fraudsters since the early days of this month. "Since June 8th, we've charged 455 defendants across 56, as I said a minute ago, U.S. attorneys' offices and 45 US states and territories," he said. "As alleged in the various indictments, these individuals participated in health care fraud schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care programs."

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy was also present when the announcement was made. He claimed that in several cases, the fraudsters prescribed unnecessary products to the patients and even got them hooked on opioids to increase their revenue. Kennedy also alleged the death of certain patients as a result of such practices. "Some defendants allegedly ordered medically unnecessary tests. Others prescribed products that patients did not need. Some allegedly fueled opioid addiction to increase their own revenue," he said.

"In certain cases, patients allegedly died, all believing they were receiving legitimate Medicare medical care from providers who only viewed them, as well as billing opportunities," the Health Secretary added. Taking to X, Kennedy said that the administration would be restoring the integrity of such programs. "We will find fraud. We will stop it. We will recover taxpayer dollars whenever the law permits, and we will restore integrity to the programs that millions of Americans rely on for their care," he wrote.