Keith Ellison's Office Says He 'Held Feeding Our Future Accountable'

ST. PAUL, MN — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison became the latest state official Monday to defend his role in the legal battle over Feeding Our Future.

Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota-based nonprofit, is accused of trying to scam $250 million from a federally-funded child nutrition program during the pandemic. The U.S. Justice Department announced charges against 48 people in connection with the nonprofit last week.

Following the charges, Gov. Tim Walz, Ellison, and other state officials have been accused of allowing mass fraud in the state.

Walz shifted the blame from his administration last week, which prompted additional blowback from a state judge. Education Commissioner Heather Mueller, whose agency oversaw grants to Feeding Our Future, also defended her department.

On Monday, Ellison's office issued a statement detailing his efforts to reign in the nonprofit.

"For two solid years, Attorney General Ellison’s office has been holding Feeding Our Future accountable," said John Stiles, deputy chief of staff and spokesperson for Ellison’s office, in a statement.

"Early on, the Attorney General’s Office worked side by side with MDE to flag evidence of fraud, demand correction from Feeding Our Future, defend MDE from Feeding Our Future’s scurrilous lawsuit — and most importantly, bring evidence of criminal fraud to the FBI, which led directly to the federal criminal investigation and criminal indictments of Feeding Our Future for fraud. Attorney General Ellison’s office has also used its civil charities-enforcement authority to investigate for violating state charities law and make sure a court is supervising its dissolution so it can’t misuse any of its remaining assets."

Ellison said that the Minnesota Department of Education and the Attorney General’s Office are at the origin of the federal criminal investigation and the 48 federal indictments. "Without their efforts, there would have been no criminal investigation or indictments," his office said.

Also read: Judge Says Walz Lying About Feeding Our Future, Dept. Of Ed Responds