DEM DEFECTION? FRAUD HEARING EMPTY

Republicans alone showed up Wednesday as Senate Democrats skipped a hearing on taxpayers being defrauded, even as testimony laid out a sprawling picture of waste, abuse and outright fraud. Journalist Nick Shirley told the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee the problem is so pervasive he could expose millions in stolen tax dollars in all 50 states, warning the country has failed to look closely for years. He pointed to California’s exploding Medicaid costs, alleged kickbacks in New York City adult daycares, and even reported election fraud examples, making the hearing’s biggest message stark: the fraud is real, and the political absence was impossible to miss.