Federal agents searched the Washington, D.C.-area home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., early on Monday, Oct. 12, as part of what the Justice Department called an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Omar has not been charged with any crime and denies wrongdoing.
A DOJ spokesperson said agents carried out a judicially authorized search warrant obtained by the department but gave no further details, ABC News reported. The agents were from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), part of the Department of Homeland Security, according to the Associated Press, a detail the DOJ later confirmed.
What the Investigation Reportedly Involves
The search warrant and the affidavit supporting it have not been made public. Several outlets, citing unnamed sources, have reported that investigators are examining possible fraud in immigration paperwork, including forms her late father filled out when she was a child. Those accounts have not been confirmed on the record by the Justice Department.
In an Oct. 14 follow-up, the AP reported, citing a single person familiar with the matter, that Omar's phone was seized and that more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas had gone out in Minnesota. Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., told Fox News there are several investigations and that her office is also reviewing Omar's financial disclosures.
CNN has separately reported that a judge placed limits on prosecutors' access to the seized records to protect material related to Omar's legislative work.
Omar's Response
In a post on X, Omar said she was OK and described the search as an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. She added that she would not be silenced. Her spokesperson called it an outrageous abuse of power and said the congresswoman had done nothing wrong, Bloomberg Law reported.
Reactions
President Donald Trump told reporters the search had nothing to do with him and was up to the Justice Department, while also calling Omar crooked, according to the AP. Vice President JD Vance has previously accused Omar of immigration fraud without presenting evidence, the AP noted, and border czar Tom Homan had confirmed a criminal probe last month without giving details.
Democrats condemned the search. House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar called it deeply disturbing, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accused Trump of using his power against political opponents, Al Jazeera reported.
Republicans largely said the process should play out. Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota said nobody is above the law, according to Fox 5.
Timing Before the Midterms
The search came about three weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The Justice Department has traditionally avoided overt investigative steps involving candidates close to an election, though that is an informal practice rather than a binding rule, as Al Jazeera explained.
Omar was born in Somalia, arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 1995 and has represented Minnesota's 5th Congressional District since 2019. She has long rejected claims made by political opponents about her family history.
This story is developing. Trending American will update it as official information becomes available.
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