A Trump official is warning Seattle’s newly sworn-in leftist mayor against targeting citizen journalists after Nick Shirley recently exposed alleged fraud linked to Minnesota’s Somali community.
Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon fired back after Katie Wilson, a democratic socialist, claimed childcare providers in the Somali community were being harassed.
“I stand with the Somali childcare providers who have experienced targeted harassment, and condemn the surveillance campaign promoted by extremist influencers,” Wilson wrote in her post on Thursday, adding that if anyone believed they were a victim of a “hate crime” they should call a hotline she provided:
Dhillon responded with a stern warning and to clarify the work of citizen journalists.
“Asking questions/citizen journalism are NOT HATE CRIMES in America — they are protected speech, and if Seattle tries to chill that speech, @CivilRights will step in to protect it and set them straight! Govern yourselves accordingly!” she wrote:
The news comes after citizen journalist Nick Shirley and his team exposed alleged fraud linked to daycares and healthcare groups in Minnesota, Breitbart News reported.
In the caption of Shirley’s video where he is seen asking questions to get to the bottom of the issue, he wrote, “Here is the full 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this might be my most important work yet. We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day.”
“Like it and share it around like wildfire! It’s time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable. We ALL work way too hard and pay too much in taxes for this to be happening, the fraud must be stopped,” he stated:
More citizen journalists and civic activists have been uncovering potential Somali fraud of taxpayer money in several other states, according to Breitbart News.
“Videos from Ohio, Maine, Pennsylvania, Washington State, and others, suggest that clannish Somalis across the country have replicated the alleged taxpayer fraud exposed in Minnesota’s childcare centers by citizen journalist Nick Shirley,” the outlet said.
Wilson was sworn in as Seattle’s mayor on Friday, according to ABC News 4.
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