Rick Scott Once Again Seems to Forget about His Own Fraud Scandal

The day after Christmas, right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a 42-minute clip online in which he claimed to have exposed $110 million in fraud at Somali-owned day care centers in Minnesota.

In the video, which has more than 3 million views on YouTube, the 23-year-old self-described “independent YouTube journalist” (who reportedly built his following with anti-immigrant content) visited several empty day care centers alongside an older man — identified only as “David” — and bombarded Somali employees with questions, accusing them of not providing services to any children despite receiving public funds. Since the clip was shared, Shirley’s so-called exposé has been challenged: Minnesota state regulators noted that inspectors had visited the centers within the past 10 months and saw children present, and other workers reported that Shirley visited the businesses while they were closed.

The lack of evidence didn’t stop prominent conservatives and key figures in the Trump administration, which was already at work targeting Minnesota’s Somali community amid its broader anti-immigrant agenda, from seizing on the moment and halting childcare funds to the state. Critics have accused Shirley of engaging in politically motivated fearmongering that undermines access to childcare for families who need it most.

It also didn’t stop former Florida Gov. Rick Scott from weighing in when, as many argued, he probably should’ve sat this one out.

“The rampant waste, fraud, and abuse in our welfare state is alarming!” the Republican U.S. senator wrote in a post on X. “Every American needs to wake up and take a careful look at how their federal, state, and local governments spend their hard-earned tax dollars. We must hold anyone who’s committing or condoning fraud ACCOUNTABLE and DEMAND that state and local governments REIMBURSE the federal government — and ultimately the taxpayers — IMMEDIATELY for any fraud involving federal dollars.”

Scott’s sudden concern for the waste and fraud of taxpayer dollars struck many as rich.

“Says the guy that had to plead the 5th 75 times in order to not incriminate himself in a multi-billion dollar fraud scheme,” one person replied.

“Sit this one out, Temu Voldemort,” another responded.

“Are they also committing Medicare fraud?” a third inquired.

Scott co-founded Columbia Hospital Corporation in 1987, which, in 1994, merged to form Columbia/HCA, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain. Under his leadership, the company famously defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal healthcare programs.

The company admitted to systematically overcharging the government by misclassifying marketing costs as reimbursable, making illegal deals with home care agencies, inflating diagnoses to bill Medicare fraudulently, and offering doctors kickbacks — including hospital partnerships, loans never meant to be repaid, free rent, furniture, and drugs — in exchange for patient referrals. It also filed false cost reports and engaged in fraudulent billing for home health care services.

While Scott was never personally criminally charged, the U.S. Department of Justice secured 14 felony convictions against Columbia/HCA, and the company was fined $1.7 billion for Medicare fraud — at the time, the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history. In 2000, Scott invoked the Fifth Amendment 75 times during a civil deposition about his role at the company.

Scott has long maintained that the fraud investigation was a case of political persecution orchestrated by the Clinton administration in response to his opposition to “Hillarycare” health care reform efforts.