A Somali children's book, a vintage camera and old cellphones were among the belongings federal investigators took from Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington home, the Minnesota Democrat said, offering a detailed account of a search whose scope her lawyers are challenging.
Speaking with MS NOW's Chris Hayes, Omar said Homeland Security Investigations agents spent four to five hours inside her residence on October 12 and left with 17 items. Her account brings the contents of a family household into a dispute over immigration records, judicial restrictions and the government's treatment of a sitting member of Congress.
The book, she said, was a Somali phrasebook her husband had been using to learn the language. Other belongings included his notebooks, a camera, and several phones, according to reports of the interview.
Omar questioned what the lengthy operation had accomplished. She described roughly 10 of the seized items as notebooks and old phones.
The inventory she described does not establish why investigators selected those objects or what evidence they believe the belongings might contain. But it adds detail to a disagreement that began before she publicly recounted the search.
On October 16, her attorneys demanded the return of seized property and questioned whether investigators had followed the magistrate judge's specific instructions. They also requested preservation of recordings made during the operation, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.
The Justice Department rejected their allegations. "Our attorneys and law enforcement partners complied with all court orders and legal obligations, as they always do," department spokesperson Emily Covington told the AP.
Omar's description of the agents themselves was more nuanced than her assessment of the investigation. She called them "intrusive but polite," saying they recorded what they removed and restored other belongings to their places.
Federal authorities are investigating possible fraud involving her family's immigration paperwork, the AP reported. Omar has denied wrongdoing. Investigators have also issued grand jury subpoenas to relatives, according to the agency's reporting.Her lawyers argue that the investigation is politically motivated. Trump has denied directing the search. AP News
In the Hayes interview, Omar linked the operation to the president's longstanding attacks on her and accused the administration of trying to intimidate her ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. She is seeking reelection to her Minneapolis-area House seat.
Her family's belongings also feature in the personal consequences she described. Omar said the attention surrounding the search had made her feel unsafe at the residence and that she planned to move.
"Obviously, I can't continue to live there," she told Hayes. Here is the full interview:
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