(The Center Square) – In response to Attorney General Nick Brown’s call for daycares who felt harassed by journalists asking if they are actually providing services, a number of daycare owners called a hotline to allege harassment, a review of reports from the Washington Attorney General’s Office’s bias incident/hate crime hotline The Center Square obtained under state open records laws shows.
But there were also calls criticizing elected officials for making journalism a “hate crime” and failing to look into fraud and saying the focus should be on U.S. citizens, the records, which did not have the names of complainants, show.
In December, federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI launched an investigation into fraud within Minnesota’s social services and child care programs. In Washington state, The Center Square and other journalists visited numerous home-based daycare providers that received state subsidies to care for children but had no evidence of children, raising questions about whether they are legitimate businesses and the spending of tax money.
A former federal agency regional manager wrote to the AGO that childcare fraud is “common,” but Brown issued a statement claiming the daycares had experienced “harassment” and received threats. He urged people to call the hotline or law enforcement if people showed up at their homes.
“Showing up on someone’s porch, threatening, or harassing them isn’t an investigation. Neither is filming minors who may be in the home,” he wrote in the statement. “This is unsafe and potentially dangerous behavior.”
Brown’s news release drew rebuke on X from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who said he’d have “some ‘splainin to do” if his office violated the First Amendment rights of journalists. Brown’s staff denied that the release was directed at reporters.
One of the messages sent from a Kent resident on Dec. 30 to the AGO hotline claimed harassment.
“Two people came to my house. I was too scared to open ring camera,” the caller said. “I run an at-home daycare. I was recorded without consent. There are children at the house, so I didn’t feel comfortable. They … spoke to my neighbor, came back twice. Asked if it was a Somali-owned daycare and ask if they ever seen daycare. Harassed me and my neighbor. Phone calls are threatening to kill me, deport me or feed me bacon.”
Another report sent by a Seattle resident on Dec. 29 said a social media creator tried to determine the validity of the daycare.
“A masked individual with a camera and microphone came to my childcare facility demanding paperwork to enroll a child,” the caller said. “I informed him we were at capacity and offered to place him on a waitlist. He identified himself as a YouTuber attempting to record ‘proof’ that my daycare is fraudulent. I denied entry with recording equipment due to minors being present and directed him to my website for information.”
Other callers were critical of Brown for making journalism into a “hate crime.”
“Curious when investigative journalism became a hate crime,” an undated message said. “People who do these things record it all. If they were harassing or threatening, they would catch themselves on film doing criminal acts…and be arrested. You need to do your jobs. This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of or seen. You’re not smart enough to have your position if you think these are the tactics to resort to if you are calling fraud and covering it up with calling it a hate crime. You guys are insane.”
Another caller said the office should look at fraud where it exists.
I “have to report AG Nick Brown and gov of WA and sec state for threats against journalists investigating Somali fraud and other fraud,” the caller said. “I hope that the fed DOJ investigates and prosecutes you for civ rights violation. You are a bunch of haters and need to be removed from office. Take that and (put) it in your pipe and smoke it.”
Other messages criticized Rep. Emily Randall, who said that white men should be the focus of investigations instead of Somalians.
Her statements are “hateful bigoted comments [and] make me feel unsafe,” the caller said. “The hypocrisy and double standards in this state are ridiculous. Don’t go look after obvious fraud and misuse of taxpayer money but do go after legal American citizens most notably white men.”
“My government hates me for being white,” an Enumclaw resident wrote to the AGO hotline on Dec. 31. “They are actively sending money to Somali daycares and wasting my tax funds.”
While a recent audit by the State Auditor’s Office found insufficient oversight by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families over its childcare subsidy program, Auditor Pat McCarthy has previously told The Center Square it does not intend to investigate potential fraud.
