96 Comments
User's avatar
Nancy Mitchell's avatar

This makes my blood boil. How does this even get normalized? Newsom has done nothing to combat the rampant fraud in California. This is beyond maddening. I want my money back. We all deserve it. I don’t want to pay any more taxes. Not wirh this going on.

Good job Chris Ruffo.

I am livid.

Nancy Mitchell's avatar

This should be disqualifying for Newsom to hold higher office. Can you imagine him as President? Good lord. We would be in serious trouble.

paul soto's avatar

people will pull the lever for him because he goes after DJT

Jeanne Walsh's avatar

You’d probably get more time for not paying your taxes than the fraudsters get for stealing!

paula yokoyama's avatar

So am I. At least 3 people in San Diego Republican HQ have their hands in the till. Sad.

Socal Conservative's avatar

But the article wasn’t about Republicans, who have no power in the state, was it? It also wasn’t about party finances that are paid by voluntary donations, was it?? And how much research did you do on your allegation? And how many billions of dollars did these 3 amateur supposed grifters steal from the pathetically small San Diego Republican organization?

You are just trying to divert from the billions in corruption that Chris exposed, in the California Democrat one-party state. You are a Spinner!!

Nancy Mitchell's avatar

Messed up big time. Can they be turned into Bill? Not sure how to spell his last name the attorney. Down in LA area?

Erik Nordheim's avatar

The implication is that Governor Newsom is profiting from the medical and unemployment fraud.

That could be happening!

There was no evidence presented though.

The readership started with the conclusion that Team Blue is crooked and Team Red are the good guys.

Pscheff's avatar

Well its more then likely that Newsome knows exactly whats going on and isn't profiting directly but through supporters much like in Minnesota

Erik Nordheim's avatar

“Team Blue voters are criminals” appears to be a widespread POV

Pscheff's avatar

well you have to question why keep voting for people who are stealing your money

Erik Nordheim's avatar

“Lesser of two evils”. That’s what both Team Blue voters and Team Red voters actually generally think in my opinion.

What surprised me is how voters on both teams view each other (as dummies and/or evil)

It’s such as waste of time on both sides and yet the politicians keep fundraising off it.

TES's avatar

The team blue keeps reciting bumper sticker hate about team red. When pressed they can't cite examples of their charges.

TES's avatar

More than likely since the state has been solid blue majority thru gerrymandering for more than 2 decades. Oversight would be very unlikely.

Erik Nordheim's avatar

You don’t think a majority of Californians vote for Team Blue. Instead Team Blue is cheating and has been for decades.

TES's avatar

I didn't use to think they were actually cheating because they are so vocal, complaining about the smallest things and frequently. It just seems like there are more of them.

Yan Song's avatar

Throughout history, empires fall not due to external invasion but internal corruption. Such is the State of Union of America today. Chris has been at the forefront of exposing corruption under the disguise of democratic social welfare for years. With the election of Donald Trump and especially initiation of the DOGE program, his presence has been greatly magnified. I hope that the new fraud fighting program lead by VP JD Vance will take advantage of Chris' work and expertise to not only expose but address the root causes of wide spread fraud, including the cultural decay underpinning such political corruption.

Matthew X. Wilson's avatar

It's because of the support of patriots like you that this reporting is able to happen. Thank you!

Mary Mc's avatar

Great reporting. I spent many years as a fraud investigator in the Metro DC area. It's amazing the schemes the fraudsters can come up with on their own but when the government makes is so easy, it's almost, hard to blame them for taking advantage of the system.

It's even more frustrating to figure out the scam, identify the bad guys only to have the state lawmakers refuse to put teeth into legislation to prevent recurrence. I've decided that too many lawyers in ANY legislature is a problem. Most write laws that make it easy for them to overcome if they are ever practicing again. If they write it they know the loopholes and how to defend against it. 😠

Ted's avatar

Poignant observations, Mary. My own experience mirrors aspects of yours. The way I express the nature of fraud suppression, is that it is Sisyphean. Once that aspect has been acknowledged and accepted, it becomes a bit easier to derive meaning and value from the occupation of compliance enforcement, avoiding nihilism and despondency over watching offenders exit the revolving door of insufficient penalty.

Leslie L's avatar

I bet when all is said and done, it ends up a whole lot more than $180B. There's probably fraud in every inch of CA in some way or another, but especially more so in blue areas.

Erik Nordheim's avatar

That would be something interesting to look at, but alas this a Team Red fan page so they won’t. The readership would delete their accounts.

David Ziffer's avatar

And just think: in 2028, half the country will be stupid enough to vote for this guy.

Ben F.'s avatar

That’s what’s so crazy.. I bet it will be less, but what is there will be propped up by Trump hysteria, even as Trump leaves office.

Bob's avatar

I do not think they're stupid, or not completely so. My brother graduated MIT in three years with honors. It's my guess he would vote for Newscum if given the chance. People are often smart and stupid at the same time.

David Ziffer's avatar

"Never confuse education with intelligence. You can have a PhD and still be an idiot." - Richard Feynman

"I know a lot of people who are educated far beyond their intelligence" - Lewis Grizzard

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." - George Carlin

Mary Mc's avatar

I miss Lewis. A truly funny man.

paula yokoyama's avatar

Angry young men and women take their anger and frustration about other things into Republican and Trump hatred.

David Ziffer's avatar

I have come to realize that many people, including family members, old friends, and former coworkers of mine, can be quite accomplished professionally and yet be utterly politically brainwashed by years of self-imposed exposure to our toxic corporate media.

Bob's avatar

Einstein also talked about curiosity as being at the root of intelligence. Which is to say always question, always revisit previous conclusions. My brilliant brother is unable to do this. He's stupid!

Bruce Chapman's avatar

Chris, you and your team have done the whole country a huge service. Congratulations!

Ben F.'s avatar

There’s a lot of people in this country who would crawl over broken glass just to vote someone into office who would “clap back” at Trump, and undo everything he’s done, and will do in his second term. Crawling on broken glass includes voting for Newsom, despite all this wild fraud and budget deficit. This is astounding.

Carl's avatar

Well, if the GOP has any sense at all (doubtful) they would nominate someone extremely well qualified but who is not in the TRUMP orbit. Like Nikki Haley. There are several more.

Ben F.'s avatar

I’m all for that in the next election Carl. Because then, hopefully, we can move on from this hysteria over Trump. It’s like he lives in the heads of the TDS afflicted 24/7. But if there is any connection at all with the next candidate, the hysteria will continue, although likely less. Putting that aside, we can’t ignore issues in states like California just because the GOP is the one honing in on fraud. The dollars wasted and plundered are real. That’s what matters for California right now. On a larger scale, i think it would be beneficial if ALL players decided that honing in on fraud was a worthy mission. As tax payers, we all deserve better.

Alistair Penbroke's avatar

Their voters don't think they'll be the ones paying for it.

Gary Edwards's avatar

It seems we've normalized these eye popping amounts of fraud. We can be confident that this is happening all over when you spend other people's (read tax payors) money.

It seems step one is fewer "block" grants would help to leverage the centralized crime prevention (read consequences) available from the Feds.

Put it in the hands of treasury agents and give out bonuses for recovery of ill gotten gains.

David Ziffer's avatar

Thank you. Why not give bonuses & rewards to everyone whose tips lead to the conviction of fraudsters? Goodness gracious: incentivizing fraud reduction. What a crazy thought.

Cynde Harris's avatar

It's always the same song..."But Trump!!!....."

Ben F.'s avatar

So true. If you put this in front of people, they’ll say there are more threatening and urgent things to take care of in regards to Trump.. essentially some flavor of “California? Newsom? Not concerned.. this is about Trump, he is a continuous threat to democracy”.

Cynde Harris's avatar

The "threat to Democracy" stuff is wild, given the Biden Administration's efforts to shut down speech and deny rights when it came to COVID. Given what I've seen since 2020, when the left accuses someone today, I just assume they're guilty of that behavior.

Lissa's avatar

So many people in bureaucratic and elected positions with no solid background in cultural norms, morals, ethics. It’s as if criminals run the governmental and non profit - NON PROFIT - agencies. As if!

Roger Beal's avatar

Leftards want to run Newsom for President. Based on this story, he is eminently qualified to represend the Democrat Party.

Mary Grande's avatar

I'm not American so perhaps Californians see something beyond earthly abilities in Newsomdo but, he has proven himself to be wittingly or unwittingly incompetent in addition to lacking in judgement and reasoning 101. What is not comprehensible is how Californians voted him in and then upon recall voted him in again when his intellectual prowess and his questionable character were already apparent.

Urey Patrick's avatar

If there is incompetence, it is by design...

paula yokoyama's avatar

Good job Chris on Varney and Co today. Newsom is the biggest fraudster! Let's put him in charge of investigating fraud. I live in SoCal and the weather, flower, Beaches are worth the price...but without the fraud it would be heaven.

Manuel Lopez's avatar

Sounds a lot like Venezuela except all the money is gone in Venezuela (stolen il money) and California has the Feds to print more money.

Kristin O's avatar

We truly don’t hate the government enough. So corrupt.

Janine Pera's avatar

Add fake hospice businesses to the list.