Rep. Ilhan Omar is speaking out regarding massive welfare fraud allegations in Minnesota, her home state, under the watch of Gov. Tim Walz. Because the vast majority of the fraudsters are Somali, and because Ilhan Omar is herself a member of that community, she appeared on “Face the Nation” over the weekend to answer questions about the accusations made by many conservatives.

Trump administration figure Stephen Miller, for one, has said in the wake of the scandal that, “The entire Somali refugee program is predicated on a lie. Destroying your own country does not give you the right to become a citizen in ours.”

Miller, of course, would like to have no immigration from the so-called Third World whatsoever. But here is what Omar said about the welfare fraud scandal: “You know, this also has an impact on Somalis because we are also taxpayers in Minnesota. We could have also benefitted from the program and the money that was stolen.”

I don’t know. If I was her, this is what I would have said: I’m outraged that anyone in my community would pilfer from the public. I want all the perpetrators brought to justice. They are giving us a bad name and I won’t stand for it.

Next, Margaret Brennan asked Omar about whether the money had been sent overseas to fund terrorism. Her response? “There are people who have been prosecuted, and who have been sentenced. If there was a linkage in that the money they have stolen going to terrorism, that is a failure of the FBI and our court system in not figuring that out.”

Really, she’s going to begin by indicting law enforcement?

Now, I should be clear that the authorities have not verified that the money sent overseas has made its way into the hands of terrorist groups, particularly al-Shabaab, as alleged by conservative writer Christopher Rufo, the journalist who broke the fraud story in the first place. But the authorities have only recovered about $50 million of the estimated $1 billion that was stolen.

Again, here’s what Omar should have said: I am aware of allegations that the money went to a terrorist group, and I support the federal government fulling investigating this. It’s unacceptable that a single cent of stolen taxpayer money be sent anywhere abroad, and I will do everything in my power to make sure my constituents are made whole.

Am I looking for a job as a speechwriter for Ilhan Omar? In fact, I am not. I’m speaking, actually, as someone who does not appreciate the casual racism being lobbed against Somali immigrants. The focus of this welfare abuse story should be the failures of the Tim Walz administration.

Walz, you may recall, was Kamala Harris’s choice for vice president. He’s demonstrating just what a disastrous vice president he would have been. It’s been reported, not just by conservative writers but also by The New York Times, that he ignored whistleblower complaints about rampant abuse of welfare because it was a pandemic and he thought he would be too heartless to ask questions. Of course, that’s the kind of leadership that allows thieves to flourish. Now he’s facing a total collapse in confidence of his governance, even as he seeks a third gubernatorial term.

If Republicans remain focused on what a bad job he’s doing, maybe they could dethrone Walz. Or maybe this will just be part of their case that the Democratic Party is not fit to actually govern: That they’re weak on fraud, and can’t be trusted with public funds. But if this becomes just about racism against Somalis, or accusing all foreigners of being bad people, then this is quickly going to become a losing issue for the right.

Yes, I know it’s very popular on social media to routinely disparage all immigrants as a drain on our country. I won’t even bother trying to convince people who harbor actually racist views against Somalis that they’re in the wrong, because that will likely be a fruitless exercise. But conservative pundits who actually have an interest in retaining power and winning elections should stick to criticism of Democratic governance, not stigmatizing all immigrants. Even if Ilhan Omar’s very basic inability to react to this scandal with anything approaching a savvy PR response makes it very, very tempting to go in the wrong direction.

Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.

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