Democrats question timing of Omar raid as Trump attacks her roots
Democrats are questioning why federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's home near Washington three weeks before the midterms, a step Justice Department practice usually avoids. At a rally in Ohio, President Trump attacked Omar's Somali roots. Omar, who has not been charged, says the search is political intimidation and she will not be silenced.
Top House Democrats are pressing the Justice Department over its search of Rep. Ilhan Omar's home near Washington, which came three weeks before the Nov. 3 midterms. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other party leaders called the search "deeply disturbing," Reuters reported.
Homeland Security Investigations agents carried out the search early Monday. A Justice Department spokesperson said a judge authorized the warrant and that "This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation," ABC News reported. The department gave no other details. Omar has not been charged with a crime.
A person familiar with the probe told Reuters it involves alleged immigration fraud, including paperwork Omar's late father filled out when she was a child. The New York Post, citing an unnamed source, reported that agents may be looking at claims that Omar misstated her age to gain citizenship. Omar has long denied wrongdoing.
Justice Department practice has been to avoid overt steps against candidates within 60 days of an election, ABC News reported. A person familiar with the case told Reuters the department consulted its Public Integrity Section and acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter before the search.
Trump brought up Omar while campaigning in Youngstown, Ohio. "She comes from one of the worst countries anywhere on the planet," he said, as the crowd chanted "Deport, deport," Reuters reported. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican, wrote that if fraud is proven, Omar "should be denaturalized and removed from this country," Reuters reported.
Omar, 44, is seeking a fifth term in a safe Democratic district that she won by 50 points in 2024. "This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced," she said in a statement, ABC News reported.
Omar came to the U.S. as a refugee and became a citizen in 2000. Republicans have attacked her background for years. Vice President JD Vance said in May that the administration would look into fraud claims that Omar has called "disgusting lies," the AP reported.
What we know: Agents searched Omar's home under a judge's warrant, and the Justice Department calls it part of a criminal probe.
What we don't: What agents took from the home and whether charges will follow.
Where outlets agree ABC News and Reuters both report that the Justice Department said agents executed a judge-authorized search warrant as part of an ongoing federal investigation.
Where they differ Reuters' source says the probe involves paperwork Omar's late father filed when she was a child, while the New York Post's source points to claims that Omar misstated her age to gain citizenship.