Treasury investigating whether Minnesota welfare money went to al Shabaab
Treasury investigating whether Minnesota welfare money went to al Shabaab
The Trump administration is looking into whether Minnesota tax money found its way to al Shabaab, an al Qaeda affiliate based in Somalia, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
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Truth Analysis
Analysis Summary:
The article claims the Trump administration is investigating whether Minnesota welfare money went to al-Shabaab. While investigations into terrorist financing and al-Shabaab's fundraising activities within the Somali-American community in Minnesota have occurred, the direct link between *welfare* money and al-Shabaab, as presented, is weakly supported and potentially misleading. The article exhibits a moderate bias by focusing on a potentially sensational claim without sufficient context or strong evidence.
Detailed Analysis:
- Claim: The Trump administration is looking into whether Minnesota tax money found its way to al Shabaab.
- Verification Source #2: The 2018 National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment indicates that Al-Shabaab continues to work through U.S.-based facilitators to raise funds from supporters, including those in the U.S.
- Verification Source #4: The 2015 National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment mentions that some donations meant for the poor and needy were used to support Al-Shabaab, with fundraising occurring within the Somali-American community in Minnesota.
- Verification Source #5: Claims that welfare fraud in Minnesota has resulted in funds going to Al-Shabaab.
- Verification Source #1: Suggests that right-wing reporting on Somali money going to al-Shabaab is sloppy.
- Assessment: Partially supported, but requires careful interpretation. While terrorist financing through the Somali-American community in Minnesota is a known issue, the specific claim about *welfare* money directly funding al-Shabaab is not strongly substantiated by the provided sources. Source 1 suggests caution in interpreting such claims.
Supporting Evidence/Contradictions:
- Source 2 and 4 confirm Al-Shabaab's fundraising activities within the U.S., including Minnesota.
- Source 1 cautions against 'sloppy' reporting on Somali money going to al-Shabaab, suggesting potential exaggeration or misrepresentation.
- Source 5 directly claims welfare fraud resulted in funds going to Al-Shabaab.