Ilhan Omar

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar said Wednesday that any alleged connections to the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in her state are "flat-out false."

"Any claim that I had knowledge of this scheme is flat-out false," Omar told Fox News.

"The MEALS Act was signed into law by President Trump and passed with bipartisan support as part of a broader legislative package," she said. "Trump’s USDA Secretary set the regulatory framework during the rollout of the program. I have always championed feeding kids and will continue to ensure our children do not go hungry."

Omar added that the "moment this fraud came to light," she "immediately sent a letter to the USDA Secretary demanding answers and accountability."

"As I stated from the beginning, stealing millions of dollars under the guise of feeding hungry children to bankroll lavish lifestyles and extravagant expenses is reprehensible," she noted. "I’m grateful that Aimee Bock and every individual involved in this abhorrent scheme are being held accountable for defrauding taxpayers and betraying vulnerable children."

Omar’s comment comes after she faced mounting pressure to explain her knowledge of and connections to the scandal that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee invited Omar to testify about what she knew of the Feeding Our Future scandal, but said she never responded. The committee then attempted to subpoena information from her, but the panel's Democratic members blocked it.

The committee released its final report last week, accusing Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration of fostering a "culture of tolerance" that allowed fraudsters to steal billions in taxpayer dollars.

The report criticized Omar, finding that her MEALS Act, which was implemented into the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, "took the guardrails off" federal nutrition programs. Omar's legislation allegedly did this by permitting for-profit restaurants to participate and allowing "grab-and-go" flexibilities that made it nearly impossible to verify if the Feeding Our Future program was feeding children.

The committee’s Republican chairwoman, Minnesota state Rep. Kristin Robbins, has suggested that Congress should help enforce the subpoena and require answers regarding Omar’s alleged association with convicted fraudsters and her public promotion of a Minneapolis restaurant that was later linked to the program.

"She only sent a letter once the fraud was exposed," Robbins told Fox News in response to Omar's statement.

"Prior to that, she sent letters urging the administration to keep the waivers in place — allowing the fraud to continue. Sounds like revisionist history. I don't buy it at all," she added.