The alleged billion-dollar fraud involving Somalis in Minnesota continues to be overshadowed by the mainstream media's focus on President Donald Trump's public remarks about Somalis and Somalia.
According to Fox News, the mainstream media, including ABC and NBC, have only dedicated 21% of their Somali coverage to the Minnesota fraud, with the majority of their content being negative evaluations of Trump. When CBS is included, the percentage of coverage dedicated to the fraud increases to 31%, largely due to an interview conducted by "Face The Nation" host Margaret Brennan with Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar.
During the interview, Brennan questioned Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the lack of evidence supporting claims that taxpayer money was being funneled to the Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab. Bessent confirmed that an investigation was underway but criticized Omar for downplaying the issue.
"Representative Omar tried to downplay it ... said ... it was very tough to know how this money should be used. She was gaslighting the American people," Bessent stated.
When confronted with Bessent's comments, Omar denied any knowledge of the allegations. "I really dont, and I dont think the secretary himself understands what hes referring to," Omar responded.
However, Brennan could have referenced a New York Post report that highlighted connections between Omar and individuals involved in the fraud, including Salim Ahmed Said, co-owner of Safari Restaurant, where Omar celebrated her 2018 congressional victory. Said was found guilty in August of stealing over $12 million in COVID-19 funds.
Another connection to Omar is Guhaad Hashi Said, who worked on Omars 2018 and 2020 campaigns overseeing Somali voter turnout. He pleaded guilty in August to running a fraudulent food site called Advance Youth Athletic Development, falsely claiming to serve 5,000 meals a day and pocketing $3.2 million from the food program.
The media's coverage of Somalia surged again when Trump held a rally in Pennsylvania, where he criticized what he referred to as "s---hole countries." ABC's Mary Bruce reported that Trump's remarks "repeatedly veered off topic and into vicious attacks," including against Somali immigrants, whom he referred to as "lazy and garbage," and against Omar.
On ABCs "The View," Joy Behar criticized Trump's suggestion that the U.S. should import people from Norway instead of Somalia, labeling it as "blatant racism." However, she failed to consider the comparative success of Norway and Somalia as nations. The liberal perspective often argues against criticizing a country, but when it comes to mass migration, they argue that migrants should stay because they come from troubled places.
"CBS Evening News" reporter Nancy Cordes reported Trump's remarks and invited Virginia Democrat Sen. Mark Warner to label Trump as "racist." GOP Speaker Mike Johnson refrained from using such terms, suggesting instead that Trump was expressing his frustration at immigrants' refusal to assimilate.
The media's coverage of Trump's speeches often includes terms like "rant" and "tirade." However, when former President Joe Biden delivered a speech in Philadelphia in 2022, criticizing equality and democracy being under threat by "MAGA extremists," the media praised his passion.
When Trump speaks passionately about America, the media often portrays his remarks as the immature outbursts of a racist bully. This contrast in coverage highlights the media's bias and their refusal to depart from their ongoing narrative about Trump.
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