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Republican state lawmakers in Minnesota have not thwarted criticism after the news Governor Tim Waltz He spent $430,000 on taxpayer money to prepare for a House hearing to investigate Governor Blue on the “sanctuary city” policy.
Invoices acquired by Star Tribune Minnesota has revealed that Waltz’s office has signed with high-power global law firm K&L Gate to prepare for governor Interview in mid-June The GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee includes questions about his and other Blue Governors’ “sanctuary cities” policies.
In May alone, Walz was responsible for legal costs in about $232,000, according to invoices obtained by the Star Tribune. This is balanced with a rate of around $516 per hour, the local outlet noted.
In total, according to the Star Tribune, K&L Gates worked with Walz’s office from the April 10th to June 12th hearing, costing taxpayers $430,000 for legal preparation.
Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz, Illinois Governor JB Pretzker and New York Governor Kathy Hochul will be present at the House Committee on Surveillance and Government Reform Hearings at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on June 12, 2025 (AP Photo/Julia Demarie Nikinson)
Minnesota GOP Rep. Jim Nash; One of two Republicans On the state’s Legislative Advisory Board, he questioned why Waltz felt forced to acquire external lawyers rather than working with state lawyers and public relations experts.
“The $500,000 taxpayer money for the governor to prepare him to go to his old stomping grounds seems outrageous, especially for the AG. Minnesota He was in Congress at the same time as the Waltz, and the two would certainly have understood how to do what they were doing,” he said.
Nash added that the intention is to provide a deeper scrutiny of the invoices obtained by the Star Tribune.
Gov. Tim Waltz sparked backlash after hiring an outside lawyer in June to prepare a GOP grill at Capitol Hill. (Getty Images)
“It appears that the state, which wins nearly $500,000 in what is equivalent to PR consulting, doesn’t seem to have a legitimate legal interest.”
“Tim Waltz spent 12 years in Congress. He knows those hearing rooms both inside and outside. He certainly knows how to act himself in that type of environment. So did the governor feel the need to spend $430,000 in taxpayer money on private companies to “prepare” for this hearing? ” asked Niska.
“To be clear, it is equivalent to PR consulting, and the legitimate legal interests of the state will never go anywhere.
In response to criticism of Walz’s decision to sign K&L Gates, both the governor and his team provided explanations. Instead, they suggested that according to the Star Tribune, they fell to the feet of Republicans for holding a hearing that did not serve any purpose other than a “grandstand.”
Tim Waltz criticized the “naive” claims of the world’s “moral authority”: “may be Chinese.”
Tim Waltz (Christopher Mark Jun/Anadoll via Getty Images)
Walz spokesman Teddy Tschann described the hearing as “a planned political stunt for the taxpayer dime,” the Startribune reported.
“They were so busy performing for the camera that they weren’t interested in wisdom about a balanced approach to immigration in Minnesota,” added Tschann. “What’s most frustrating is that Tom Emmer and Pete Stauber are planning this spectacle and planning on going through it anyway.”
When asked directly about the bill, Waltz told reporters that the GOP-led hearing was “not a place where I want to spend my money. It proved that it’s not a place where I want to spend my time, and there’s nothing more than using it as epic.”
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The heavily bill won backlash from Walz this week, but it’s not the first time the governor has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal advice. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said earlier this year after attending a hearing in the country’s capital, where she expected to pay around $650,000 to the law firm she helped prepare.
Denver city He also prepared mayor Mike Johnston for a counsel earlier this year, over $250,000 for outside lawyers.
Fox News Digital contacted Walz’s office and K&L Gates for comment, but did not receive any replies from either.
