Dr. Oz does his best imitation of Nick Shirley

On December 25, 2025, right wing podcaster Nick Shirley released a video full of lies about fraud in Minnesota daycare centers. Trump responded by launching Operation Metro Surge - which has now turned into a nightmare for his administration. 

The president and his MAGA allies desperately want to turn the national narrative back to allegations of fraud in Minnesota. As part of that effort, Dr. Oz, who is in charge of Medicare and Medicaid services, travelled to the state with his buddy, Jim O'Neill (HHS Deputy Secretary) and did their best to imitate Nick Shirley.  

🚨 BREAKING: Dr. Oz and Jim O’Neill said they discovered a former linen factory in Minnesota that was converted into 400 Medicaid businesses, generating nearly half a billion dollars. 🤯

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— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 23, 2026

This effort would be humorous if it weren't so tragic. Almost everything Dr. Oz said is a lie. For example, the Griggs-Midway building was originally a food manufacturing plant when it was built in 1912 - not a linen factory. It was converted into an office building in 1955. 

While it is true that there is an industrial area to the northwest of the building, it is surrounded by residential areas to the west and south. 

 

I know about this building because it used to house one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the city. It has also been home to state and public offices including the Ramsey County Workforce Center, MN Department of Human Rights, MN State Arts Board, and Public Defenders. It's a hub for government, nonprofits, and small businesses.

One of Dr. Oz's statements is particularly problematic for Twin Cities residents. The Griggs-Midway building is in St. Paul - not Minneapolis. Those of us who have lived in the former find this kind of confusion particularly troublesome. 

But let's get to the heart of the matter. Here's the big lie:

Roughly 400 Medicaid businesses were started in the building behind me over the last several years. They generated about $380 million of billing that you, the taxpayer, were putting up. That means roughly every business had a million dollars of billing...

The question is, how is it possible 400 businesses billing almost $400 million were able to thrive here? What did the owener of this building think was happeing inside? Why did no one in the state think this was a concern?

I have no idea where the allegation of 400 Medicaid businesses billing almost $400 million comes from. But here's what happened back in July 2025.

FBI agents on Wednesday raided five Twin Cities businesses and two homes as part of an investigation into Medicaid housing assistance fraud...

Twenty-two purported providers have business addresses at the Griggs-Midway Building on University Ave. in St. Paul. They collectively billed taxpayers $8 million over 17 months and used fake documentation to back their claims, the FBI alleges.

By September 2025, four of the five businesses targeted in the raid were charged in federal court. The fifth business was charged in December. While Dr. Oz wonders why no one is concerned, the truth is that state and federal officials have been on the case for months now. As all of that was unfolding, Gov. Walz completely shut down the housing assistance fund in October last year. 

The good doctor ends his nonsense with this:

There has been a censoring of the truth, and an inability to own what is happening in this state that is concerning to me. They talk about being "nice" in Minnesota, I want to be nice too, but a good person doesn't always have to be nice. They have to be truthful and honest.

Excuse me while I get a little blunt here, but - much like his pal Nick Shirley - Dr. Oz wouldn't know the truth if it bit him in the *ss.