Trump says Justice Department is investigating Ilhan Omar

Washington (Somalia Today) – President Donald Trump asserted on Monday that the Justice Department is investigating Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, accusing the Somali-born lawmaker of illicitly amassing a multimillion-dollar fortune—a claim Omar immediately dismissed as a desperate “deflection” from a crumbling administration.

The president’s announcement, made via his Truth Social platform, marks a significant escalation in his long-running feud with one of his fiercest congressional critics.

It comes as tensions boil over in Omar’s home district of Minneapolis, where federal immigration agents have been deployed in force, sparking days of protests following two deadly shootings involving federal officers.

“The DOJ and Congress are looking at ‘Congresswoman’ Ilhan Omar, who left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars,” Trump wrote, misspelling her first name. “Time will tell all.”

The president offered no evidence for the $44 million figure, which far exceeds estimates found in her recent congressional financial disclosures.

Omar, a former refugee who has represented Minneapolis since 2019, wasted no time in firing back.

She characterized the president’s statement as a political smokescreen designed to distract from his administration’s turbulent handling of immigration enforcement.

“Sorry, Trump, your support is collapsing, and you’re panicking,” Omar wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Right on cue, you’re deflecting from your failures with lies and conspiracy theories about me. Years of ‘investigations’ have found nothing. Get your goons out of Minnesota.”

Financial scrutiny

While Trump’s $44 million claim remains unsubstantiated, Omar’s personal wealth has been a subject of increasing scrutiny in Washington.

Financial disclosures filed last year revealed a dramatic increase in Omar’s reported net worth, a spike attributed principally to the assets of her spouse, Tim Mynett.

The filings showed her husband holding stakes collectively worth between $6 million and $30 million in a venture capital firm and a winery.

Under congressional rules, members must disclose assets in broad ranges rather than exact amounts. This makes precise net worth calculations difficult.

Omar has previously denied any impropriety regarding the accumulation of these assets, asserting that the growth is unrelated to her government work.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, has seized on the disclosures, telling the New York Post recently that he plans to launch a formal investigation into the “dramatic spike” in the couple’s wealth.

Comer has vowed to subpoena Omar’s husband to determine whether the couple benefited from the congresswoman’s political position.

However, sources familiar with the Justice Department’s internal workings suggest the “investigation” Trump touted may be less active than implied.

According to people with knowledge of the matter, the Justice Department under the Biden administration did open a preliminary inquiry into Omar in June 2024.

That probe was initiated by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington and the department’s public integrity unit. It examined her finances, campaign spending, and interactions with a foreign citizen.

However, that inquiry appears to have stalled due to a lack of evidence, according to one source who requested anonymity to discuss internal department matters.

Trump’s announcement on Monday reportedly blindsided current department officials, raising questions about whether the president is seeking to revive a dormant case for political leverage.

Minneapolis on edge

The verbal sparring in Washington is playing out against a backdrop of tangible unrest in Omar’s district.

Minneapolis has been the epicenter of a new wave of protests this month following aggressive enforcement actions by federal immigration authorities.

Tensions erupted after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Renee Good on January 7.

Anger intensified Saturday with the death of Alex Pretti, who was killed by a Border Patrol agent under disputed circumstances.

Residents have flooded the streets in response, demanding the removal of federal agents from the city.

Trump, undeterred by the outcry, announced Monday that he is dispatching his “border czar,” Tom Homan, to Minneapolis to oversee operations personally—a move likely to further inflame the situation.

Omar’s demand to “get your goons out of Minnesota” reflects the deep animosity between her constituents and the administration’s enforcement teams.

A history of conflict

The clash is the latest chapter in a relationship defined by mutual hostility. Since Omar’s historic election as one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, she has been a frequent target of Trump’s rhetoric.

During his first term and the 2020 campaign, Trump often encouraged supporters to chant “send her back” to Somalia, despite Omar having been a U.S. citizen since 2000.

He recently referred to her as “garbage” during a cabinet meeting. He has also repeatedly attempted to link her, without evidence, to a Minnesota fraud scandal involving federal food aid.

Critics of the president, including Omar, have long described his fixation on her as rooted in racism and xenophobia.

“There is a desire to purify the country from any brown and Black people,” Omar told The New York Times in an interview, predicting “a lot of pain” for Americans during Trump’s second term.

As the administration ramps up its pressure on Minneapolis and House Republicans sharpen their investigative focus, the confrontation between the president and the congresswoman appears poised to dominate the political news cycle.