2026年7月15日 美国东部时间下午4:57 / 福克斯新闻
参议员加里·彼得斯在听证会向证人提问后离场
作者：查尔斯·克赖茨，福克斯新闻
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周三，参议院国土安全与政府事务委员会的民主党席位空无一人，共和党人在一场主题为“揭露美国境内欺诈行为”的听证会上对证人进行质询，这导致共和党议员指责少数党民主党回避这个令其在政治上感到难堪的议题。
密歇根州民主党参议员、委员会资深成员加里·彼得斯是听证会上唯一出席开场陈述的民主党人。他提出了几个问题，随后在肯塔基州共和党议员、委员会主席兰德·保罗对证人尼克·雪莉、詹姆斯·奥基夫和迪伦·赫特勒-高德特发言前离场。
除此之外，听证会主席台的民主党席位一直空着。
FTC主席指责民主党“试图保护欺诈者”，称其拒绝向特朗普政府提供数据
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左侧的共和党人出席了参议院国土安全委员会关于美国境内欺诈行为的听证会，但右侧的民主党席位基本空无一人。（美国参议院国土安全委员会 摄）
福克斯新闻数字频道联系了参议院国土安全委员会的所有民主党议员，但截至发稿无人回应。福克斯新闻数字频道也联系了保罗，请他发表看法。
目前明尼苏达州、加利福尼亚州等多个州的欺诈案件正受到持续审查，共和党议员和保守派评论员迅速对民主党缺席听证会的行为提出批评。
除了未全程出席听证会的彼得斯外，委员会的民主党议员还包括宾夕法尼亚州参议员约翰·费特曼、新罕布什尔州参议员玛吉·哈桑、康涅狄格州参议员理查德·布卢门撒尔、亚利桑那州参议员鲁本·加列戈、新泽西州参议员安迪·金以及密歇根州参议员埃莉萨·斯洛特金。
viral视频中的托儿所所有者被控参与460万美元托儿所欺诈计划，检察官称
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福克斯新闻频道的截图显示，肯塔基州共和党议员、主席兰德·保罗（左）主持听证会，右侧的民主党席位空无一人。（《福克纳焦点》/福克斯新闻 摄）
俄亥俄州共和党议员伯尼·莫雷诺曾一度指出会场里缺席的关键人物——或者说缺席的驴（注：美国民主党党徽为驴）。
当保罗转而呼吁佛罗里达州共和党议员里克·斯科特提问时，莫雷诺表示，共和党议员提问结束后，本应留给民主党议员提问时间。
“如果这里有民主党议员的话，确实如此，”保罗回应道。“所以这场关于欺诈的听证会没有民主党人出席，”莫雷诺说，保罗随即正式表态：“跨党派似乎确实没有多少兴趣。”
民主党议员缺席听证会的行为在网上引发了批评。
科罗拉多州共和党议员劳伦·博伯特在X平台上发文，将缺席听证会的民主党人称为“懦夫”。
福克斯新闻主播哈里斯·福克纳就周三民主党席位空出一半的视觉效果向田纳西州共和党议员玛莎·布莱克本提问。
“他们不想了解这件事的真相……看看这些地区，他们基本上对欺诈行为视而不见，任由欺诈者逍遥法外，”布莱克本说道。
联邦最高检察官称加利福尼亚是“欺诈者的天堂”，警告州官员可能面临指控
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密歇根州民主党参议员、参议院国土安全与政府事务委员会资深成员加里·彼得斯是唯一出席听证会的民主党议员，且仅停留到开场陈述环节。（瓦莱丽·普莱施/彭博社 via 盖蒂图片社）
布莱克本此前曾提出一项法案，将欺诈联邦政府的行为列为可剥夺国籍和驱逐出境的罪名。
佛罗里达州政治记者埃里克·多赫蒂评论称，参议院召开了一场重要的“反纳税人欺诈会议”，邀请了尼克·雪莉和詹姆斯·奥基夫，“……民主党席位全部空着。”
“委员会的所有民主党议员都收到了邀请——但0人出席。这就是欺诈者的政党，”多赫蒂宣称。
听证会上，雪莉揭露了他和报道搭档大卫·霍赫在明尼阿波利斯走访多家主要由索马里裔经营的托儿所地址时发现的情况。
“当我们谈论欺诈时，我们指的是从辛勤工作、遵纪守法、纳税的公民手中偷走的钱财，”雪莉说道。
“这个议题与政党无关，因为没有一张美元上面会印着共和党或民主党。当欺诈者实施欺诈时，他或她偷走的是我们所有人的钱。最糟糕的是，欺诈影响的是最脆弱和最需要帮助的人群，因为他们最依赖政府服务，”他在描述自己和霍赫在明尼阿波利斯实地走访后制作的43分钟视频时说道。
雪莉和霍赫的报道后来获得了明尼苏达州共和党众议员皮特·斯托伯的邀请，得以在国情咨文演讲中亮相。
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民主党席位空无一人的情况下，雪莉指出，明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·瓦尔兹于2026年1月宣布不会寻求第三任期，获得最高级别政府资助的托儿所组织据称已承认欺诈罪名，而明尼苏达州破获了史上最大规模的“自闭症欺诈”案件。
“埃隆·马斯克说得对，‘欺诈者总是叫得最响’，”他说道。
詹姆斯·奥基夫就他在洛杉矶的工作作证称，他和他的记者团队记录了28次与选举请愿书征集者的交流，对方提出以金钱或毒品换取选票签名。
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“他们在这座大楼（国会大厦）里宣扬自由、保护民主、防止选举权被剥夺以及无人能凌驾于法律之上，”奥基夫作证说道。
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“但如果这些原则在光天化日之下被违反却得不到执行，那它们就根本不是原则，而是口号。”
Dems unite to boycott hearing on emerging threat facing America: ‘Don’t want to know the truth’
July 15, 2026 4:57pm EDT / Fox News
Sen Gary Peters left after asking witnesses questions during the hearing
By Charles Creitz, Fox News
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The Democratic side of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee dais was empty Wednesday as Republicans questioned witnesses at a hearing on “Exposing Fraud in America,” prompting GOP lawmakers to accuse the minority of ducking a politically uncomfortable issue.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the ranking member on the committee, was the only Democrat present for the hearing’s opening statements. He asked a handful of questions before appearing to leave sometime before Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., addressed witnesses Nick Shirley, James O’Keefe and Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette.
Otherwise, the Democratic side of the dais was vacant.
FTC CHIEF ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF ‘TRYING TO PROTECT THE FRAUDSTERS’ BY WITHHOLDING DATA FROM TRUMP ADMIN
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Republicans, left, appear at the Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on fraud in America, but Democrats, dais on right, appeared to largely skip the forum.(US Senate Homeland Security Committee)
Fox News Digital reached out to every Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, but none responded by press time. Fox News Digital also reached out to Paul for his reaction.
Republicans and conservative commentators quickly criticized the Democrats’ absence amid ongoing scrutiny of fraud cases in Minnesota, California and other states.
Besides Peters, who did not stay for the main portion of the hearing, Democrats on the panel include senators John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Andy Kim of New Jersey and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.
OWNER OF DAYCARE IN VIRAL NICK SHIRLEY VIDEO CHARGED IN $4.6M DAYCARE FRAUD SCHEME, PROSECUTORS SAY
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A Fox News Channel screenshot shows Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., left, presiding over a hearing with no Democrats, right, present.(The Faulkner Focus/Fox News)
At one point, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, pointed out the elephant — or donkey — missing from the room.
When Paul turned to call on Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to offer his questions, Moreno said a Democrat is supposed to be given time to question witnesses after a Republican finishes.
“If there were a Democrat here, yes,” Paul replied. “So, there’s no Democrats present at a hearing about fraud,” Moreno said, leading Paul to state for the record, “There doesn’t appear to be a great deal of interest across the aisle.”
The lack of attendance from the Democrats drew criticisms online.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., labeled the no-show Democrats “cowards” in an X message.
Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner asked Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., about the optics of Democrats’ half-circle of empty seats on Wednesday.
“They don’t want to know the truth about this. … You look at these areas that have just basically turned a blind eye and have let people move forward with fraud,” Blackburn said.
TOP FEDERAL PROSECUTOR CALLS CALIFORNIA A ‘FRAUDSTER’S PARADISE,’ WARNS STATE OFFICIALS COULD FACE CHARGES
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Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, was the only Democrat to appear and stayed only for opening remarks.(Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Blackburn previously introduced legislation that would make defrauding the federal government a denaturalizing and deportable offense, she said.
Florida political reporter Eric Daugherty commented that the Senate held an important “anti-taxpayer fraud meeting … with Nick Shirley and James O’Keefe, and … every single Democrat seat is empty.”
“One hundred percent of Democrats on the committee were invited – 0% showed up. The party of fraud,” Daugherty declared.
During the hearing, Shirley sounded off about what he and his reporting partner David Hoch discovered as they visited various, largely Somali-owned daycare center addresses in Minneapolis.
“When we talk about fraud, we are talking about money stolen from hardworking, law-abiding, taxpaying citizens,” Shirley said.
“This issue has nothing to do with political parties, because no dollar says Republican or Democrat on it. When a fraudster commits fraud, he or she steals from all of us. The worst part is that fraud affects the most vulnerable and needy, as they rely the most on government services,” he said, describing a 43-minute video he composed from touring such sites with Hoch in Minneapolis.
Shirley and Hoch’s work later earned them a State of the Union invitation from Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn.
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With the Democratic dais vacant, Shirley noted that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced in January 2026 that he would not seek a third term, and the daycare organization with the highest level of government funding purportedly pleaded guilty to fraud and the largest “autism fraud” bust in history has occurred in Minnesota.
“Elon Musk was right when he said, ‘The fraudsters always complain the loudest,’” he said.
James O’Keefe testified about his work in Los Angeles, where he and his journalists recorded 28 exchanges with election petition circulators offering money or drugs in exchange for ballot signatures.
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“They campaign in this building (the Capitol) about freedom and protecting democracy, preventing disenfranchisement and how nobody is above the law,” O’Keefe testified.
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“But if those principles are not enforced when they are violated in broad daylight, they are not principles at all. They are slogans.”
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