Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar has repeatedly downplayed the prospect of being the subject of a federal probe ahead of Monday's raid at her home as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Omar, 44, has characterized unspecified allegations of immigration fraud as politically motivated as recently as last month, telling a reporter she had not been informed she was being investigated by federal authorities.
...
"Why do you follow up with them and ask them what is the information that they have, and how long does the investigation take?" Omar said in mid-September.
Omar flatly dismissed allegations from White House border czar Tom Homan, who told Fox News on September 13 that the Department of Homeland Security had been investigating the Minnesota Democrat, but declined to provide additional details.
"If someone committed an immigration violation, if someone committed marriage fraud or anything like that, regardless if they're a congressman or not, no one's above the law," Homan said. "So, I'll leave it at that. We'll let Homeland Security Investigations continue the investigation."
Omar said last month that the specter of charges didn't faze her, however.
...
"I don't really worry about it, " Omar previously said. "You have a good day."
Omar struck a similar tune in April when she urged critics to "suggest all you want" during an appearance on a nationally syndicated radio show.
"Listen, suggest all you want," she said. "Please, investigate all you want. Right, like? To me, I'm not, like, 'I'm above the law.'"
HSI agents conducted Monday's search at Omar's home, sources close to the matter told the Associated Press. Vice President JD Vance has previously accused the Minnesota Democrat of immigration fraud, an accusation she has repeatedly denied.
...
The Department of Homeland Security referred an inquiry to the Department of Justice, which said HSI agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the agency in Washington, but did not provide additional details.
"This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation," DOJ officials told Newsweek.
A message sent to Omar's office was not immediately returned.
Video obtained by Fox News shows an unidentified person asking an HSI officer outside Omar's residence whether the operation was an "illegal immigration" raid. The officer declined to provide additional details early Monday.
Monday's search follows months of federal scrutiny into Omar's immigration history, as confirmed separately last month by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who has said authorities were examining an accusation she married her brother to help him enter the United States. Omar has repeatedly denied the unsubstantiated allegation
"There may be more to this, the whole family migration and possibly some illegal activity for them to come to the United States to begin with," Mullin said last month.
Vance has also previously referenced a DOJ probe into Omar after she had been accused of being privy to the massive $250 million "Feeding Our Future" pandemic fraud scheme, which she has vehemently denied.
"Any claim that I had knowledge of this scheme is flat-out false," Omar said in a statement in May. "The moment this fraud came to light, I immediately sent a letter to the USDA Secretary demanding answers and accountability. As I stated from the beginning, stealing millions of dollars under the guise of feeding hungry children to bankroll lavish lifestyles and extravagant expenses is reprehensible."
Aimee Bock, the 45-year-old convicted ringleader of the scheme, which falsely reported serving 91 million meals to hungry children, was sentenced in May to 500 months in prison for what federal prosecutors billed as the nation's largest pandemic fraud case. She was also ordered to pay $242 million in restitution.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jenni Fink and Gray R. Thomas