WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar said Monday she "will not be silenced" after federal agents searched her Washington, D.C., home as part of a criminal investigation, calling the search politically motivated just three weeks before she faces voters in the Nov. 3 election.
"I'm ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement," Omar wrote in a post on X. "For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation."
Homeland Security Investigations agents carried out the search early Monday.
The Justice Department confirmed that HSI agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the department in the D.C. area, calling it part of "an ongoing federal criminal investigation." The department did not say what the investigation involves, and DHS referred questions to the Justice Department.
Fox News reported that the probe centers on possible fraud in immigration documents Omar's late father filled out when she was a child, and that agents wearing HSI jackets were seen outside the home before sunrise.
No charges have been announced.
Republicans have for years accused Omar of marrying her brother and committing immigration fraud, claims she has called "disgusting lies." Vice President JD Vance said in May that the administration would investigate the allegations, and White House border czar Tom Homan said in September that Omar was the subject of a criminal investigation.
Top House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, condemned the search and questioned its timing. The Justice Department has a longstanding practice of avoiding overt investigative steps involving political candidates in the run-up to an election.
Omar, 44, has represented Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis, since 2019. She is the first Somali American elected to Congress.
Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.
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