Ilhan Omar says she will leave her Washington home after a federal search tied to an immigration fraud investigation, alleging political intimidation and denying wrongdoing.
US Rep. Ilhan Omar said Wednesday that she plans to move out of her Washington, DC, home after federal agents searched the property last week, saying the raid had drawn unwanted attention and left her feeling unsafe, according to ABC News.
Federal agents searched the Minnesota Democratic representative's home last week as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of immigration fraud involving her family's immigration paperwork. Authorities have also issued grand jury subpoenas to some of her relatives.
Omar was born in Somalia and is a naturalized US citizen, and denied the allegations in an interview with MS NOW on Wednesday, her first since the search.
She said she was “confident in the fact that I didn’t do anything wrong.”
The investigation comes amid longstanding allegations promoted by Trump supporters and conservative commentators that Omar entered into a fraudulent marriage with her brother and misrepresented details of her immigration history. Omar has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and the allegations have not been substantiated.
Omar accuses Trump administration of political intimidation
Omar alleged that the raid was politically motivated and was intended to appease supporters of US President Donald Trump who have demanded action against her.
“They kept alluding to the fact that something was going to happen to me,” Omar told MS Now host Chris Hayes. “They had to do something, I believe, to say, ‘Hey, look, we raided her house.'”
In a social media post following the search, Omar accused the administration of weaponizing federal law enforcement against Trump's political opponents.
"For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns," Omar said. "This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced."
Trump denies involvement in raid, suggests she could go to jail
Trump denied any involvement in the investigation when questioned about the raid on Monday.
“I understand they’re looking at her very carefully,” he said, describing Omar as “totally crooked” and “a terrible person.”
“That’s really up to the DOJ; I have nothing to do with it,” he added.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Omar, including making personal attacks referencing her Somali heritage and questioning her loyalty to the United States.
During a recent exchange with reporters, he described her as a “sick, very dishonest person who hates our country.”
When asked whether or not Omar could face deportation, Trump suggested that she could also face criminal prosecution.
“Well, she could be. She could also go to jail," he said.