Socialist Mayoral Candidate Backed By Minneapolis Democrats Now Faces 'Feeding Our Future' Scrutiny

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Just days after winning the Democratic Party of Minneapolis' endorsement for mayor, State Sen. Omar Fateh is under renewed scrutiny over his past praise, political support, and financial ties to Feeding Our Future, the disgraced nonprofit at the center of one of the largest fraud cases in U.S. history.

A resurfaced video from June 2021 shows Fateh speaking at a community event in support of Feeding Our Future, months before the organization was raided by the FBI.

In the video, Fateh says he lobbied Gov. Tim Walz’s office on behalf of the nonprofit and was told there was "zero evidence of fraud." He also called the Minnesota Department of Education’s actions against the group "immoral."

Feeding Our Future was the hub of a sprawling $250 million pandemic-era fraud network that involved fake food sites, shell companies, and hundreds of millions in stolen taxpayer funds. As of this week, 48 people have been convicted in the case, plus five others involved in a related bribery scheme.

FBI Director Kash Patel recently said the case stands "as one of the most egregious abuses of public trust in recent memory."

Fateh has received more campaign donations from individuals later indicted in the scandal than any other elected official, according to the conservative think tank Center of the American Experiment.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, whom Fateh is challenging, also received donations from people convicted in the case.

Both candidates returned the contributions and condemned Feeding Our Future after the fraud became public.

Fateh’s appearance in the video followed a period of intense lobbying by local political figures on behalf of Feeding Our Future.

Also featured in the footage is Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman, whose wife operated a food site that received more than $450,000 in reimbursements from the program. The Minnesota Attorney General later shut it down, calling it a “fraudulent shell company.”

Fateh, a self-described democratic socialist, was endorsed by the Minneapolis DFL on July 19 after receiving more than 60 percent of delegate support at the city convention.

The endorsement was a historic rebuke of Frey, marking the first time in 80 years the party backed a challenger over a sitting mayor.

The general election is scheduled for Nov. 4.