Eli Crane moves to honor YouTuber Nick Shirley with Congressional Gold Medal after viral Minnesota daycare fraud claims

Eli Crane moves to honor YouTuber Nick Shirley with Congressional Gold Medal after viral Minnesota daycare fraud claims (Image via Getty)

Eli Crane is back in the news after making a big announcement that quickly spread online. On January 6, Rep. Eli Crane said he has introduced a bill to award Nick Shirley the Congressional Gold Medal. The move is linked to a viral video Shirley posted about an alleged daycare fraud case in Minnesota.Crane shared the news on X, writing, “In honor of his exemplary work, I’m proud to introduce this bill to award @nickshirleyy the Congressional Gold Medal.” The post got instant attention and led to more messages from the congressman. In later posts, Crane praised Shirley for speaking out and said his work helped bring focus to what he called waste and fraud.The announcement also pushed Nick Shirley back into the spotlight. His video about the alleged Minnesota daycare fraud had already gone viral, but this public support from a sitting congressman made the story even bigger. Soon after, Shirley responded in a short post, thanking Crane and adding, “This would be cool.”

Rep. Eli Crane, who has represented Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District since 2023, described Nick Shirley as a “fearless citizen journalist.” In one of his follow-up posts, Crane wrote that Shirley “voiced against a corrupt system and exposed waste, fraud, and abuse being perpetrated against the American people.” In another post, he added, “His efforts to shed light on this historic scandal have resulted in seismic shifts to our political landscape virtually overnight.”Nick Shirley uploaded his video about the alleged Minnesota daycare fraud on December 26, 2025. In the video, he claimed that several daycares across Minnesota were receiving public funds but appeared to be closed or not operating. The video spread fast on YouTube and X, especially after it was shared by well-known accounts.According to a report by CNN, Shirley’s follower count on X jumped sharply after the video went viral. The outlet said he had about 200,000 followers in early December, which rose to around 800,000 by December 29. As of now, Shirley has about 1.2 million followers on X.Not everyone agreed with Shirley’s claims. Ibrahim Ali, a manager linked to one of the daycares shown in the video, told KARE that the daycare was owned by his parents and said Shirley recorded the video when the center was closed.The story grew so large that it drew a response from the FBI. FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X, “Even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.” He added that these cases were “the tip of a very large iceberg” and confirmed the investigation is ongoing.Meanwhile, online reactions remain mixed. Many users have shown support for Nick Shirley, while others have urged people to wait for official findings as the investigation continues.Also Read: Did Nick Shirley Mislead Viewers? Venezuela Celebration Video Linked To Miami Raises Serious Questions Over Nicolás Maduro Claims