Senator Eric Lucero (R-St. Michael) responded to a newly released report from the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor that found widespread mismanagement inside Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan’s offices.

The audit, covering July 1, 2022, through December 31, 2024, found that the governor’s office “generally did not comply” with criteria tested by the OLA. Auditors listed twelve separate findings of noncompliance, including inaccurate pay, missing receipts, late vendor payments, and untracked state property. Several of the same problems were raised in past audits and remained unresolved.

“Gov. Walz fails to comply with the most common managerial tasks like receipts, payroll, or simple documentation. Gov. Walz’s careless attitude explains why fraud and waste have spread like wildfire across state government during his time in office,” Senator Lucero said. “Every small business in the state would consider these tasks to be basic operations, yet the nonpartisan auditor uncovered a clear pattern of habitual neglect by Gov. Walz’s administration.”

The full OLA report is available at: https://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/fad/2025/fad25-05.htm.

“The culture that neglects and ignores even simple recordkeeping is the same government culture that ignores fraud,” Senator Lucero said. “Minnesotans expect and deserve a governor who protects taxpayer money, which Gov. Walz is not delivering.”