Federal agents searched the Washington home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., early Monday morning, part of what the Justice Department described as an ongoing criminal investigation. A department spokesperson said Homeland Security Investigations "executed a judicially authorized search warrant," according to NBC News, though the department's statement did not spell out what the warrant was seeking or confirm it targeted Omar herself.
People familiar with the matter told NBC News the search is tied to a "yearslong" inquiry being pursued by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minneapolis and the Justice Department, drawing on witness testimony, documents and whistleblower accounts. One source said the probe touches on immigration and fraud allegations but "goes beyond those things." A federal judge approved the warrant only after questioning whether the application adequately addressed constitutional protections specific to sitting lawmakers, according to a PBS NewsHour report, which said prosecutors had first applied for it more than a week earlier.
A Long-Running Dispute
The search follows months of public sparring between Omar and the administration. Border czar Tom Homan said last month that Homeland Security Investigations was examining allegations that Omar married a relative to help him obtain U.S. immigration status — a claim Omar has repeatedly denied. Vice President JD Vance said in the spring that Omar "definitely committed immigration fraud." Omar is also seeking re-election this fall, and PBS NewsHour reported the search came 22 days before the midterm vote, within a window the Justice Department's long-standing "60-day rule" is meant to discourage for actions involving candidates.
Omar responded on social media, writing that the search was "an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement" and calling it "the latest escalation" in what she described as President Trump's "campaign of political intimidation." She added: "I will not be silenced."
We will deliver full accountability for the rogue abuse of power.
House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, joint statement
Trump, asked about the search, said he "had nothing to do with it" and that the matter was "really up to the DOJ," adding that he had "always found her to be totally crooked, personally." The White House and the Department of Homeland Security both referred questions to the Justice Department.
Investigators must now sort through whatever material agents collected, and any case could still face legal challenges over what evidence is admissible before prosecutors could seek an indictment from a grand jury. For now, the search has become another flashpoint in the midterm campaign, with Omar's allies calling it intimidation and the administration insisting the investigation predates any political calculation.
