Nick Shirley says 'leftists' are 'coming after me' for exposing Minnesota fraud

Minnesota Fraud Exposed

Nick Shirley says 'leftists' are 'coming after me' for exposing Minnesota fraud

The independent journalist appeared on OutKick's 'The Riley Gaines Show' debuting Wednesday, Jan. 7

Joseph A. Wulfsohn Fox News

Published

January 5, 2026 10:31pm EST

Video

Independent journalist Nick Shirley tells Riley Gaines that the Minnesota fraud scandal was an opportunity for Democrats to join Republicans in solving the problem, but they chose instead to come after him

Independent journalist Nick Shirley joined "The Riley Gaines Show" to talk about his viral videos that exposed alleged fraud in Minnesota and how Democrats have targeted him instead of addressing the issue.

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Independent journalist Nick Shirley says he's now become a target from the political left for putting a spotlight on the fraud that has taken place in Minnesota.

"I think something like this would just be ‘fraud as bad.' But no, now people are coming after me for exposing fraud. And who are all those people? They're leftists," Shirley said in a preview of Wednesday's debut of Outkick's "The Riley Gaines Show" podcast.

"And it's just a moment where they could have really been like, 'Okay, you guys, let's come together. Let's tell everyone ‘Fraud is bad. Let's crack down on the fraud.' Instead, they come after the person who is exposing the fraud," Shirley told Gaines.

NICK SHIRLEY GLOATS HE ‘ENDED TIM WALZ’ AFTER MINNESOTA GOVERNOR SCRAPS RE-ELECTION BID AMID FRAUD SCANDAL

Independent journalist Nick Shirley sat down for an interview with Riley Gaines as part of the launch of Outkick's "The Riley Gaines Show." (OutKick)

Since he went viral with his reporting about the Minnesota fraud, Shirley said he's received tips on alleged fraud across the country, specifically regarding daycare centers.

"The people have given me a mandate to expose more of the fraud, so I'll be exposing more," Shirley told Gaines.

The full interview will be released on Wednesday. "The Riley Gaines Show" will be available on all major podcast platforms. Watch more content from "The Riley Gaines Show" on Gaines' YouTube page.

FRAUD FALLOUT FORCES DEMOCRATIC GOV. TIM WALZ TO ABANDON MINNESOTA RE-ELECTION BID

Riley Gaines sitting on white couch with pink backdrop talking to a group of women with a microphone in hand

Riley Gaines is launching "The Riley Gaines Show" podcast on Wednesday, Jan. 7. (Ivan Apfel/Getty Images)

Shirley upended the news cycle last month with a 42-minute video investigating Minnesota daycare centers that appeared inactive despite receiving millions of dollars in government funding. The video, which has been viewed more than 138 million times on X alone, prompted investigations by federal officials and led the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to freeze all childcare payments in Minnesota.

However, Shirley has since become a target by legacy news organizations like CBS News and CNN, casting doubt on his journalism.

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Nick Shirley upended the news cycle last month with a 42-minute video investigating Minnesota daycare centers that appeared inactive despite receiving millions of dollars in government funding. (Nick Shirley)

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Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to joseph.wulfsohn@fox.com and on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.

Nick Shirley says 'leftists' are 'coming after me' for exposing Minnesota fraud