Freedom Talk with Phil

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked by KARE 11's Lou Raguse during a news conference on fraud why the government paid millions more for a prison than it was being sold for. Full story: bit.ly/4zfC6VB

So who’s committing fraud? A private prison in Minnesota was offered for sale for $75 million last year. The Trump administration paid $495.6 million for the same facility. That’s a difference of more than $420 million in taxpayer money. And these are the people lecturing Minnesotans about fraud? The hypocrisy is staggering. Every accusation from Trump folks is starting to sound like a confession.

This is fraud at the federal level. Steering taxpayer $ to private prison industry via vastly inflated price.

Appleton Briefing: The DFL Created the Conditions They Now Call a Scandal teapawt.org/i/broadcasts/2VNLlvoVE…

Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in living memory, and even for him, this is shocking. Congress must investigate this corrupt $400+ million overpayment to a Trump donor immediately.

So much money laundering.

WATCH: Trump’s Treasury Secretary calls a question about the $420M overpayment by the Trump administration on an ICE prison in Appleton a “waste of our time.”

"New records obtained by KARE 11 show the company that owned a vacant private prison in Appleton, Minnesota offered to sell it to the state in 2025 for $75 million. One year later, the Trump administration agreed to use taxpayer funds to buy the same abandoned prison from CoreCivic, Inc., for $495.6 million. The price difference, $420 million, is more than taxpayers are estimated to have lost in Minnesota’s much-publicized Feeding Our Future fraud scandal." kare11.com/article/news/inve…

The Trump administration paid $495.6 million for a vacant Minnesota prison that its owner had offered to sell to the state for $75 million just a year earlier, according to a KARE 11 investigation. Records obtained by KARE 11 show that CoreCivic offered to sell the Appleton prison to Minnesota in May 2025 for $75 million, including upgrades needed to reopen it. The state declined the offer. In August 2026, the federal government purchased the same prison for $495.6 million to use as an ICE detention center. The price difference of more than $420 million exceeds the estimated taxpayer losses in Minnesota's Feeding Our Future fraud scandal. Minnesota Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell told KARE 11 he was stunned by the purchase price. CoreCivic said independent appraisers assessed the property and the federal government determined the final price. The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to KARE 11's questions about the purchase price.

A private prison company offered Minnesota an empty prison for 75 million dollars. The state said no. Then Trump’s administration paid the same company almost 500 million for it. The prison has sat empty in Appleton, Minnesota since 2010. Last year CoreCivic emailed the state and offered to sell it for 75 million, upgrades included. Minnesota passed. Fifteen months later, Homeland Security bought it for an ICE detention center at 495.6 million. How could this be? You guessed it. CoreCivic gave half a million dollars to Trump’s inaugural committee. And it still gets paid about 75 million a year to run the place. Republicans love talking about fraud in Minnesota. JD Vance says his task force is all over it. So where are they on this one? I break it all down in today’s show (link in reply).

The Trump administration announced nearly $30 million in new fraud charges in Minnesota on Friday, targeting alleged schemes involving Medicaid and other taxpayer-funded programs. FBI Director Kash Patel said four people were arrested after federal agents executed 17 search warrants Thursday. The arrests were tied to a 26-count indictment involving more than $41 million in alleged Medicaid fraud. Federal prosecutors also said 13 defendants have been charged, convicted or sentenced since Sept. 30 in cases involving nearly $83 million in intended losses. The new charges include allegations that providers billed Medicaid for autism therapy and home support services that were never provided. Prosecutors also accused one woman of paying parents kickbacks in exchange for submitting Medicaid claims for autism services. “The cases highlighted today represent my office’s unwavering commitment to protect the integrity of taxpayer-funded programs,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel N. Rosen. “These defendants stole money meant for the vulnerable, and they will be brought to justice.” The Justice Department said investigators have issued more than 1,000 subpoenas and executed more than 40 search warrants in Minnesota this year. But when a reporter asked about the federal government's own spending, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed the question as a waste of time. The reporter wanted to know why the Trump administration paid $495.6 million for a vacant prison in Appleton that its owner had offered to sell to Minnesota for $75 million just a year earlier. "I don't know anything about that," Bessent responded. He said officials were there to prosecute criminal fraud and that questions diverting attention from that work were "a waste of our time."

The same facility offered to Minnesota for $75 million, Trump shells out $495 million for? This mess in Appleton isn't getting by me. I'm demanding that Congress investigate this corrupt misuse of your tax dollars. Enough is enough.

The Appleton private prison ICE recently purchased from CoreCivic was originally up for sale for $75 million. The Trump Admin bought it for $495.6 million. Conveniently, CoreCivic also contributed to Trump’s inauguration. This is more than just a sweet deal for CoreCivic — it’s yet another example of this admin’s corrupt self-dealing. kare11.com/article/news/inve…