As accusations of widespread fraud in California ramp up, the state’s Attorney General is pushing back on what he called “baseless claims” from the Trump administration.
In recent weeks, California has been a frequent target of the Trump administration’s fight against fraud — specifically, involving Hospice Care facilities that CMS administrator Dr. Oz alleges are draining taxpayers of billions of dollars.
“Trump claims California is wasting money when in reality our programs are helping lower income individuals and lower income families get healthcare, food and housing assistance,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said during a press conference on Thursday.
Bonta called it “partisan political theater,” and a mere effort from the Trump administration to “sow distrust” in California’s government entities.
“Trump claims, wrongly, California is perpetuating fraud when we are the victim,” Bonta said.
The state’s top prosecutor highlighted his agency’s efforts to combat fraud over the years, which have resulted in the California Department of Justice recovering nearly $3 billion of taxpayer money from criminal and civil prosecutions.
When it comes to hospice fraud, Bonta said his office is currently involved in two dozen civil lawsuits and have brought criminal charges against 109 defendants.
“We know that when it comes to hospice fraud, the scale and complexity of this specific type of fraud has evolved over time, and we are appropriately prioritizing it and tackling it,” Bonta told reporters.
The Attorney General called out Trump’s “outrageous” and “ridiculous” claims that California’s government is the one enabling fraud, and underscoring it’s not a blue vs red state problem.
“Do bad actors try to take advantage of California and impose fraud on California? They do, just like they do every other state,” Bonta said. “This idea that the government of California is involved in fraud is ridiculous but is also on brand with this president,” he said.
Bonta also attacked First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli and Dr. Oz for gaslighting the American people while pretending to play hero in a “desperate attempt to get clicks and retweets.”
“This isn’t a political game for us. This is about protecting taxpayer dollars, protecting our state,” He said.