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Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington-area home Monday morning, just 22 days before the midterm elections, raising questions about the timing of a criminal investigation involving one of President Donald Trump’s most frequent political targets.
Homeland Security Investigations, the criminal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, carried out the search under a warrant obtained by the Justice Department, according to a DOJ spokesperson.
“Executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.”
The department did not identify Omar, a Minnesota Democrat seeking reelection, in its statement or disclose the investigation’s scope. A person familiar with the matter said the probe has been underway for years and involves whistleblowers.
Search raises questions about election-year Justice Department rules
The timing of the search is likely to draw scrutiny because of longstanding Justice Department guidance intended to prevent federal investigations from being used to influence elections.
The department has no blanket rule prohibiting investigative actions within 60 days of an election. But its written policy states that prosecutors and agents may not time investigative steps, criminal charges or public statements to give an advantage or disadvantage to a candidate or political party.
The policy also directs officials to seek guidance when an action near an election could raise concerns about political influence or create the perception of improper interference.
The issue has a prominent precedent. In 2016, then-FBI Director James Comey publicly disclosed developments in the investigation of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server just 11 days before the election.
After taking office, Trump fired Comey. The administration cited Comey’s handling of the Clinton investigation in defending the decision, although Trump later said he would have fired him regardless.
The search of Omar’s home does not, by itself, establish that the Justice Department violated its election-year policies. The department has not publicly explained why investigators conducted the search Monday or whether officials considered the timing under its guidance.
Trump administration has repeatedly targeted Omar
The search comes amid years of public attacks by Trump and other administration officials against Omar, a progressive lawmaker and member of the group of Democratic congresswomen commonly known as the Squad.
Last month, border czar Tom Homan told Fox News that Omar was under investigation by DHS.
“If someone committed 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 HSI, Homeland Security Investigations, continue the investigation.”
Omar has faced longstanding allegations from conservative figures concerning her immigration history and a past marriage. She has denied wrongdoing, and the government has not publicly established that the allegations are true.
Earlier this year, Trump said the Justice Department and Congress were “looking at” the congresswoman. He has repeatedly criticized Omar over her political positions and used her background to attack immigrants from Somalia.
At a rally in Tennessee over the weekend, Trump singled out Omar and Somali immigrants.
“How about Ilhan Omar? She comes from Somalia,” Trump said, drawing boos from the crowd.
He then described Somalia as a lawless country and blamed Somali immigrants for problems in Minnesota.
“What they’ve done to Minnesota, these people from Somalia, what they’ve done to Minnesota should never be allowed,” Trump said. “And let’s see what happens. JD Vance and our people are looking at it very strongly.”
Last week, Trump urged Minnesotans to “fight back” against Somali immigrants and claimed in a Truth Social post that the state was “being taken over by Somali Immigrants.”
Omar immigrated to the United States from Somalia as a child. According to her official biography, she fled the country’s civil war with her family at age 8, spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp and later settled in the United States. She became a U.S. citizen and was elected to Congress in 2018.
Minnesota fraud cases fuel political attacks
Trump has also repeatedly invoked fraud investigations in Minnesota as part of his criticism of the state and its Somali community.
One of the most prominent cases involved Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit at the center of an alleged $250 million scheme to steal federal funds intended to provide meals to children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prosecutors have also brought charges in other alleged social services fraud cases in the state.
Most defendants in the related cases have been of Somali descent, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The former leader of Feeding Our Future, however, is white.
The cases have become a focal point in political arguments over immigration, government oversight and Minnesota’s Somali American community. Trump has repeatedly highlighted the defendants’ backgrounds while attacking Somali immigrants more broadly.
The fraud cases are separate from the search of Omar’s home. Authorities have not publicly established a connection between Omar and the Feeding Our Future case or the other Minnesota fraud prosecutions.
Omar previously blamed Trump’s rhetoric against her and Somali immigrants for contributing to an attack on her at a town hall event in January.
Investigation remains largely unexplained
The Justice Department has disclosed few details about the search, leaving unanswered questions about the investigation’s specific focus, the evidence sought and the potential next steps.
A judicially authorized search warrant permits investigators to search a specified location for evidence under legal standards governing warrants. It does not establish that the person whose home is searched has committed a crime.
With the midterm elections approaching, the search places renewed attention on the Justice Department’s obligation to conduct investigations without partisan considerations, particularly when the subject is a candidate for public office.
The department has not publicly explained the timing of the operation or provided further details about the investigation.
