3 federal agencies reportedly investigating Rep. Omar

FPI / January 19, 2020

The FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Education inspector general are looking into alleged crimes committed by Rep. Ilhan Omar related to her marital history, reports say.

The Blaze reported that ICE’s involvement in the investigation pertains to “questions about [Rep. Omar’s 2009 marriage],” which allegedly includes “eight instances of perjury, immigration fraud, marriage fraud, up to eight years of state and federal tax fraud, two years of federal student loan fraud, and even bigamy.”

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported last June that “investigative documents released by a state agency have given fresh life to lingering questions about the marital history of Rep. Ilhan Omar and whether she once married a man — possibly her own brother — to skirt immigration laws.”

The Department of Education inspector general is reportedly looking into whether Omar’s 2009 marriage to a British citizen was “an attempt to facilitate federal student loan fraud, or other fraud involving higher education.”

Previous reports noted that the “FBI SAC (Special Agent in Charge) stated that the wide range of criminal activity suggested by the evidence against Rep. Omar may lead the FBI to expand the review to other federal departments.”

Omar has repeatedly claimed that the allegations are baseless. The Minnesota Democrat has refused to answer questions or turn over any documents to the Associated Press or the Star Tribune that could debunk what she claims are conspiracy theories.

The Star Tribune reported the following timeline of Omar’s marital history:

• 2002: Omar, now 19, marries Ahmed Hirsi, 22, in their “faith tradition” in Minnesota, but they don’t legally marry.
• 2008: Omar and Hirsi, now the parents of two children, reach an “impasse in our life together” and divorce in their faith tradition.
• 2009: Omar, at 26, marries Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, 23, whom she identifies only as a “British citizen.” School records show he attended high school in St. Paul and studied art at North Dakota State University.
• 2011: Omar and Elmi end their relationship and divorce in their faith tradition, but do not legally divorce until 2017.
• 2012: Omar and Hirsi reconcile and have a third child together.
• 2014–15: Omar files joint tax returns with Hirsi, though they are not yet legally married; she remains legally married to Elmi.
• 2016: Omar, endorsed by the DFL over longtime incumbent Phyllis Kahn, is elected to the Minnesota House, becoming the first Somali-American, Muslim legislator in the United States. But her campaign is rocked by allegations in a Somali news forum and the conservative Power Line blog suggesting that Elmi is her brother and they married for unspecified immigration benefits.
• 2017: Omar is granted a legal divorce from Elmi.
• 2018: Omar legally marries Hirsi and is elected to Congress.

Some observers noted that the expansion of the investigation to include ICE is ironic since Omar has been critical of the enforcement agency, going so far as to call for it to be abolished.

Free Press International