A group of Republican state legislators are calling for impeachment proceedings to begin against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The campaign for impeachment comes as Walz has been under a wave of criticism relating to fraud in state government programs.

“Today, I call for the Minnesota Legislature to join me in impeachment proceedings against Gov. Tim Walz, based on concerns involving alleged corrupt conduct, failures of oversight, and the erosion of public trust in state government,” State Rep. Mike Wiener said in a Monday statement.

Wiener is joined by Republican State Reps. Pam Altendorf, Ben Davis, Krista Knudsen, and Drew Roach in calling for impeachment proceedings. Wiener informed Alpha News that he expects the list of supporters to grow.

“Minnesota taxpayers deserve a government that puts their interest first. Billions of public dollars are entrusted to state leadership, and any misuse, mismanagement, or failure to address fraud and corruption directly harms working families across the state,” Weiner said. “Accountability is not optional; it is foundational to good governance.”

For weeks, Minnesota has been in the national spotlight as new revelations of fraud in state programs have emerged. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has estimated that fraud in state-run, Medicaid-funded programs since 2018 could total more than $9 billion.

Additionally, whistleblowers from within state government have said they faced retaliation from the Walz administration for speaking out about fraud concerns.

Walz, who has been the governor since 2019, dropped his bid for a third term last week amidst a firestorm of criticism related to the fraud that has occurred on his watch.

In total, Wiener has drafted four articles of impeachment against the governor. While those articles cannot be introduced until the legislature is back in session in February, he shared their contents with Alpha News.

Article I says Walz violated his 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 systemic abuse.”

Article II accuses Walz of interfering with “lawful oversight, investigation, or corrective action related to fraud”; Article III charges Walz with “placing political consideration above lawful administration”; and Article IV says Walz failed to properly steward public funds.

Minnesota’s impeachment process
According to Article VIII of the Minnesota Constitution, a state governor can be impeached “for corrupt conduct in office or for crimes and misdemeanors.”

Only the Minnesota House of Representatives has the authority to impeach the governor, which requires a majority vote. Upon impeachment, the governor would face a trial in the Minnesota Senate. Should two-thirds of the Senate vote for conviction, the governor would be removed from office.

Regarding impeachment, the Constitution says “judgment shall not extend further than to removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit in this state. The party convicted shall also be subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment according to law.”

When the legislature comes back into session in February, the House is expected to be evenly split with 67 Republicans and 67 Democrats.

“I invite Minnesotans on both sides of the aisle, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike to stand together in holding all politicians accountable,” Wiener said. “This is not about removing someone because of ideology. It’s about restoring integrity, transparency, and trust in our state government.”

Alpha News reached out to Walz’s office for this story but did not immediately hear back.

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