A right-wing lobbyist with a history of making derogatory statements about Muslims, David Hoch, has been identified as the "unnamed source" in a viral video claiming Somali-owned day care centers in Minneapolis are involved in fraud. The video was created by YouTuber Nick Shirley and gained widespread attention from far-right figures.
According to the Intercept, a publication that broke the story, Hoch is a lobbyist who ran for Minnesota attorney general in 2010 as a member of the Resource Party, a right-wing party. He has also been involved with a company called Ladderwight, which sells ladder safety equipment, and has posted about the Somali community in Minnesota on social media platforms.
The video appears to have been created by Shirley, who interviewed Hoch at a day care center and claimed that he had information about alleged fraud involving the centers. However, an investigation by The Intercept found that the evidence presented in the video was based on unsubstantiated claims and contradictory information.
Hoch's statements about Somalis and Muslims are particularly noteworthy, with one post from 2020 reading "Even the Blacks have had enough of the demon Muslims." He also claimed that all Somalis in Minnesota were involved in fraud. These comments have been widely criticized as racist and divisive.
The Trump administration has taken steps to investigate the allegations made by Shirley's video, including freezing funding for child care programs in Minnesota. However, many experts argue that the allegations are baseless and part of a larger effort to perpetuate anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment.
In contrast to Hoch's claims, several investigations have found no evidence of widespread fraud at Somali-owned day care centers. A report by the Star Tribune found that the allegations made in Shirley's video were "baseless" and that there was no evidence to support the claim that Somalis were involved in fraud.
The Intercept notes that the Trump administration has a history of using propaganda and disinformation to advance its policy goals, and that the latest allegations are part of this pattern. The publication argues that journalists have a responsibility to fact-check claims like those made by Shirley's video and to present accurate information about the Somali community in Minnesota.
According to the Intercept, a publication that broke the story, Hoch is a lobbyist who ran for Minnesota attorney general in 2010 as a member of the Resource Party, a right-wing party. He has also been involved with a company called Ladderwight, which sells ladder safety equipment, and has posted about the Somali community in Minnesota on social media platforms.
The video appears to have been created by Shirley, who interviewed Hoch at a day care center and claimed that he had information about alleged fraud involving the centers. However, an investigation by The Intercept found that the evidence presented in the video was based on unsubstantiated claims and contradictory information.
Hoch's statements about Somalis and Muslims are particularly noteworthy, with one post from 2020 reading "Even the Blacks have had enough of the demon Muslims." He also claimed that all Somalis in Minnesota were involved in fraud. These comments have been widely criticized as racist and divisive.
The Trump administration has taken steps to investigate the allegations made by Shirley's video, including freezing funding for child care programs in Minnesota. However, many experts argue that the allegations are baseless and part of a larger effort to perpetuate anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment.
In contrast to Hoch's claims, several investigations have found no evidence of widespread fraud at Somali-owned day care centers. A report by the Star Tribune found that the allegations made in Shirley's video were "baseless" and that there was no evidence to support the claim that Somalis were involved in fraud.
The Intercept notes that the Trump administration has a history of using propaganda and disinformation to advance its policy goals, and that the latest allegations are part of this pattern. The publication argues that journalists have a responsibility to fact-check claims like those made by Shirley's video and to present accurate information about the Somali community in Minnesota.
This whole thing is just so messed up... I mean, who creates a viral video with no evidence and then lets it spread like wildfire? 
And now the Trump administration is using this as an excuse to freeze funding for child care programs?! It's just another example of how our system can be manipulated by misinformation. 
His words are what sparked all this drama and now he's being used as a pawn in someone else's game. It's just sad.
We can't let people like Nick Shirley or David Hoch sway our opinions with untrustworthy sources. 
. I mean, Nick Shirley's video could've been debunked so much sooner if people didn't jump straight into believing it without fact-checking 
. It's wild how David Hoch's history of making racist comments can be connected to this whole thing and yet nobody's really talking about that 
. It just goes to show how far we still have to go in terms of critically thinking before sharing some viral content online 
And to think that his claims were taken seriously by some people, especially those on the far-right, is just mind-boggling.
It's not too much to ask, is it?
It's just not right.
. but what really gets me is how this all went down - nick shirley just creates some video and boom, trump admin takes notice 
. it's like they're tryin to stir up some drama just to keep the hate train rollin' 
. newsflash: somali-owned day cares are legit and so far, no one's been caught red-handed in any widespread fraud scams 
. can't believe the trump admin is playin' this game of propaganda again... it's like we're livin in some kinda alternate reality where facts don't matter 
i mean, what even is this video doing on tiktok?? it's like someone took all these weird conspiracy theories and mashed them together into one big mess 
it's disheartening to see people like him trying to stir up drama & division, but at least we got some good journalists on the case 
of perpetuating anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment. it's disgusting that trump administration is even taking steps to investigate these baseless allegations 
. somali-owned day care centers are not the problem, it's people like hoch and shirley who need to be held accountable for their words and actions 
we need more fact-checking and less propaganda, especially when it comes to immigrant communities