WASHINGTON — Federal agents searched the Washington home of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota on Monday morning as part of a criminal investigation, The Associated Press reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The search was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations agents, the people said. The Justice Department said HSI agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the department in the Washington, D.C., area but gave no other details. “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation,” the department said.
Fox News, citing unnamed sources, reported that agents were examining immigration paperwork that the congresswoman’s father filled out when she was a child, and posted video of what appeared to be officers in HSI jackets at the residence, according to The Guardian. Neither Omar’s office, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security nor the White House immediately responded to the Guardian’s requests for comment.
President Donald Trump and his allies have accused Omar of obtaining citizenship fraudulently, and Trump has openly talked about denaturalizing her. Omar has consistently denied the accusations.
Omar, 44, represents Minnesota’s 5th District, which includes Minneapolis. First elected in 2018, she and Rep. Rashida Tlaib became the first Muslim women in Congress. The search comes three weeks before the midterm elections and is likely to bring new accusations that Trump is using the government for political ends, The Guardian said.
Sources: The Associated Press, The Guardian
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