MAGA-aligned social media influencer Benny Johnson, who in September 2024 said he was duped into working for a covert Russian influence operation funded by Russian state media employees, appeared on The Greg Kilmeade Show on Fox News and said California Governor Gavin Newsom “is in full panic mode over our upcoming investigation into the massive fraud in California under his watch.”
Johnson added: “What we have uncovered will enrage every taxpayer. They saw what happened to Tim Walz. His career is over. Fraud is a career killer. And now California is under full federal investigation. Gavin is terrified. And he should be.”
[NOTE: Democratic Governor Tim Walz is under fire for a series of fraud schemes targeting the state’s social services system, including daycare centers, that have occurred on his watch. Walz, who was former VP Kamala Harris‘s running mate in 2024, has said he will not seek re-election mainly due to scandal.]
Gavin Newsom is in full panic mode over our upcoming investigation into the massive fraud in California under his watch. What we have uncovered will enrage every taxpayer.
They saw what happened to Tim Walz. His career is over. Fraud is a career killer. And now California is… pic.twitter.com/gqO9OX0RBy
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 12, 2026
Newsom has yet to directly respond to Johnson’s latest claim, but when the New York Post on Friday published an article titled ‘Billions in healthcare fraud discovered in California, Minnesota ‘pales in comparison’ says Dr. Oz,’ Newsom’s press office replied.
Newsom’s press office, which runs the social media accounts the Governor has used to troll the Trump administration with mimicry and memes, replied: “Medicare is administered by the federal government … So is the Trump Administration claiming they engaged in fraud, waste, and abuse???”
Note: Mehmet “Dr. Oz” Oz is Trump’s Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has made approximately $100 billion in some years in improper payments to Medicare and Medicaid plans.
Medicare is administered by the federal government … So is the Trump Administration claiming they engaged in fraud, waste, and abuse??? https://t.co/P9TrqNQ5io
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 10, 2026
Critics of the Trump administration say Oz’s statement is a distraction from the larger national problem. As one replied: “The fraud in Minnesota isn’t an outlier, it’s a symptom of systemic failure,” and noted that the Insurance Fraud Accountability Act — which was introduced in March by Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC) — “proves D.C. knew about these scams for years but let bureaucrats rubber-stamp $250M+ in stolen Medicaid funds.”
Another added: “California’s numbers might be bigger, but Minnesota’s collapse reveals a deeper rot: lax oversight, sanctuary policies enabling exploitation, and a refusal to prioritize Americans over grifters.”