- It is also an unusual action against a candidate less than a month before an election, something the Justice Department has generally avoided.
The last one: President Trump said authorities were watching Omar “very carefully” when asked if he knew about the search of his home in advance.
- “I always found her totally twisted personally, but that has nothing to do with me,” Trump said.
- “I think she’s a terrible person. She comes from a country that isn’t a country.”
What they say: “I’m fine. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and militarize federal law enforcement,” Omar said in a post Monday afternoon on X.
- “For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not allow myself to be silenced.”
Driving the news: Fox News first reported that agents from Homeland Security Investigations conducted the search, citing a Justice Department statement.
- A DOJ spokesperson confirmed to Axios that DHS agents “executed a judicially authorized search warrant obtained by the Department of Justice” as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.
- DHS referred Axios to the DOJ.
The other side: Omar’s office blew up the research.
- “This Trump DHS raid constitutes an outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the militarization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies,” Omar spokeswoman Jacklyn Rogers said in a statement.
- “The congresswoman did nothing wrong.”
- Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives separately issued a joint statement calling the search “deeply disturbing” and part of a “rogue abuse of power” by the administration.
Zoom out: Last month, border czar Tom Homan confirmed that a criminal investigation was underway against Omar, although he declined to provide details.
- Fox reported Monday that the search was linked to a fraudulent investigation into Omar’s immigration documents.
- This Somali man came to the United States in 1995 as a 12-year-old refugee.
Between the lines: Trump has for years demanded that Omar leave the country or be deported, citing, among other things, unsubstantiated claims that she married her brother to help him skirt immigration laws.
- Omar dismissed the allegations regarding the marriage in question, calling them “baseless rumors.”
- Trump has made Minnesota’s Somali community one of the most frequent targets of his anti-immigration rhetoric, and Omar the face of those attacks.
- Last week, he called on Minnesotans to “fight back” against the state’s Somali population.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from President Trump, as well as statements from Omar, his House office and House Democratic leaders, and with more context.
Andrew Solender and Torey Van Oot contributed reporting.
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