David Hann calls on Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to apologize for hijab video

Minnesota Republican Senate candidate David Hann is calling on one of his potential Democratic opponents to apologize after a video of her wearing a hijab and supporting the Somali community amid a massive fraud scandal went viral on social media.

“It’s emblematic of how she and other Democratic politicians in Minnesota have behaved over the past decade. They’re very political,” said former Minnesota state Sen. David Hann, a Senate candidate in the Republican primary. Video of Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan wearing a hijab and standing up for the Somali community amid a massive fraud scandal that has rocked Minnesota in recent years.

“They’re just pandering to political constituencies, and they’re not doing the job they were elected to do.”

In the video, which was widely criticized by conservatives on social media last week, Flanagan can be seen donning a hijab while speaking to Somali voters.

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“Salam alaikum,” Flanagan says in the video, greeting in Arabic before declaring, “The Somali community is part of the social fabric of the state of Minnesota.”

“I’m here to shop today and I’m just encouraging other people to come and support our Somali businesses, to support our immigrant neighbors, and I know things are scary right now,” Flanagan added in the video broadcast on Somali television.

“Being part of Minnesota and growing up here, the Somali community has always been part of my Minnesota,” Flanagan added, while asking residents to “show up and support our Somali businesses and immigrant neighbors.”

“We support you,” Flanagan said.

Flanagan, who did not comment in response to the viral investigation by journalist Nick Shirley highlighting the alleged fraud problem in Minnesota, was criticized over the video by those who accused him of downplaying the scandal.

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“This is what political performance looks like — symbolism over accountability — as billions of taxpayer dollars disappear,” said Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham. posted on X. “Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan wears hijab in solidarity with Somalis as federal government investigates multibillion-dollar fraud scandal.”

Hann told Fox News Digital that Flanagan should apologize and remove the video.

“They failed to do their duty for fear of offending a political constituency,” Hann said. “So they did nothing to take responsibility for what the public expects of them. So yes, she should apologize.”

“She certainly shouldn’t be sent to Washington to oversee federal spending. But it’s emblematic of the way Democrats have governed this state. They like to posturing, they like to tell people how compassionate they are. They tell us our high taxes help people, but they haven’t really demonstrated any concern about helping people. They’re more interested in spending.”

Fox News Digital has covered the Minnesota fraud scandal extensively in recent weeks, including concerns over fears of being called “racist.” helped provide coverage for the fraud, which occurred primarily within the state’s Somali community.

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“The Somali voting bloc is of course large in the Minneapolis area, and that worries them,” Hann told Fox News Digital. “And yes, I saw those reports as well, that there were concerns about how this would look. Most of the fraud was carried out by Somalis who created these shell companies and looted the public treasury and I think the Democrats were concerned that if they continued this, they would appear to be going after the Somali community when in fact they should be enforcing the law. “

“I think every community wants to see laws enforced and Minnesotans want to see laws enforced. And that’s why it’s so terrible. They’re just failing to do the duty that they were elected to do.”

The lieutenant governor, in office since 2019, is challenging two other Democratic candidates in the Senate primary race to fill incumbent Democratic Sen. Tina Smith’s seat. Former Democratic presidential candidate and current senator. Amy Klobuchar is the state’s other senator.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Flanagan spokesperson Alexandra Fetissoff said the focus should be on The Trump administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants from Minnesota.

“As the lieutenant governor showed her support for small businesses and communities terrorized by ICE, a friend handed her a scarf and briefly wore it out of respect,” Fetissoff said. “The real scandal should not be a scarf, but masked men throwing American citizens into vans and violating the constitution.”

Flanagan’s team also clarified that although many people on social media claimed that she said the Somalis “built” Minnesota, “she doesn’t say that in the video.”

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Last week, Fox News Digital first reported on legislation introduced by Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, named for Tim Walz, that aims to combat future frauds like the one that occurred in Minnesota that could total as much as $9 billion, according to federal prosecutors.

If elected to the Senate, Hann told Fox News Digital he would push for more “safeguards.”

“But I think we should also think about how we can reform the whole social institution?” Hann explained.

“Are there better ways to help people? We should be more concerned with trying to ensure that people’s lives improve, rather than just spending money. It seems to me that the Waltz administration has focused on just handing out money, Democrats in Washington are just handing out the money, without accountability or trying to determine the effectiveness of the programs we have, we need to take a hard look at that.”

Preston Mizell of Fox News Digital contributed to this report