Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) latest Washington headache fits in her purse. Federal agents seized her cellphone during Monday’s search of her Washington home. For a politician accustomed to answering controversy with a carefully polished statement, having investigators take a device that might contain original records is a very different communications problem. Washington normally treats a lost cellphone as an emergency.
A seized cellphone is worse because tech support can’t fix it, and changing the password won’t resolve a federal investigation.
From the Associated Press:
Federal authorities investigating Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar seized the Democratic lawmaker’s phone and have issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, according to a person briefed on the probe.
The subpoenas were issued for a grand jury collecting evidence in Minnesota as federal authorities probe potential fraud in Omar’s immigration paperwork, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. The investigation led to federal agents searching Omar’s Washington, D.C. home on Monday just weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking reelection.
Investigators also issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including some to Omar’s relatives. The inquiry concerns potential fraud involving the family’s immigration paperwork. A person briefed on the investigation confirmed the phone seizure, but the government hasn’t publicly described what’s on it.
Anyone announcing the discovery of a smoking gun before the evidence is released might want to check the safety.
The Justice Department confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations executed a judge-authorized search warrant on October 12 as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Federal agents carried boxes from the residence. Omar, a Minnesota Democrat seeking reelection in November, received the sort of house call that doesn’t come with a campaign donation envelope.
Her office wasted little time issuing its own verdict: “outrageous abuse of power.” It insisted she’d done nothing wrong and accused the Trump administration of targeting a political opponent.
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Forget that investigations of Omar began under the Biden administration. If old pudding head is investigating a Democrat, any argument of abuse of power disappears behind a “Leering Center” sign.
The investigation reportedly centers on whether Omar or her late father supplied incorrect information when the family sought legal status and she later became a citizen through his naturalization in 2000. Investigators are examining her birthdate and other immigration records. Depending on the timing, the difference between being 17 and 18 could affect whether someone qualified for citizenship through a parent.
Here’s a peculiar detail: Omar’s staff asked the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library to change her publicly listed birth year from 1981 to 1982. Her office maintained it was correcting a mistake. A revised biography can’t establish fraud in immigration paperwork, but it gives investigators a straightforward question: What do the original documents say, and who supplied the information?
Then there’s another federal inquiry. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro confirmed her office is examining Omar’s financial disclosures. Omar and her husband originally listed assets potentially worth millions, then filed lower figures dramatically. Her office blamed an accounting error, and a nonpartisan congressional watchdog recommended dismissing the misconduct allegation.
Remember, a congressional watchdog “ruling” doesn’t equate to a criminal investigation.
The search also presents a problem for the Justice Department. Its rules prohibit taking investigative steps that could influence elections. With Omar facing voters in a few weeks, authorities owe the public a credible explanation of why the warrant needed to be executed now. Judicial approval, from a D.C. Democratic-appointed judge, answers the question of legal authorization, but not every question about timing.
Omar has chosen to declare the entire investigation political retaliation. A press release is free, quick, and requires no supporting documents. But statements, speculation, and presidential commentary won’t resolve the allegations. If possible, they’ll be resolved through records, witnesses, and evidence showing whether anyone knowingly made a material misrepresentation. The government hasn’t publicly charged Omar in connection with the search, and a grand jury investigation isn’t a verdict.
The work isn’t glamorous, but carefully testing evidence is how federal prosecution is supposed to function.
Federal agents have the phone, a grand jury has subpoenas, and Omar still has her microphone. If the evidence supports charges, prosecutors should present it in court. If it doesn’t, they should close the matter.
In the meantime, neither side can substitute proof with one thing: a really impressive press release.