Ilhan Omar Calls Federal Search of Her D.C.-Area Home ‘Political Intimidation’ in First Public Response

Rep. Ilhan Omar responded publicly for the first time Monday after federal officers executed a search warrant at her Washington, D.C.-area home, calling the search “the latest escalation” in what she described as President Donald Trump’s campaign of political intimidation.

“I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” the Minnesota Democrat wrote 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. I will not be silenced.”

The search

The Department of Justice confirmed Monday that investigators from Homeland Security Investigations, the criminal-investigations branch of the Department of Homeland Security, “executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice” at Omar’s residence.

“This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation,” a DOJ spokesperson said. The statement did not indicate what the investigation entailed.

One neighbor told CNN they were awoken around 4:30 a.m. Monday by the sounds of banging on doors. CNN reporters later observed the home surrounded by Homeland Security Investigations officers, with investigators carrying boxes out of the residence and using a camera to document the condition of the house before leaving.

White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed the search warrant’s execution in an appearance on Fox News Monday morning but provided no other information, saying he did not want to get ahead of the attorney general and the Homeland Security secretary.

Reaction and timing

House Democratic leaders called the search “deeply disturbing,” saying it “raises serious questions about the continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government against Donald Trump’s adversaries.”

“For years, Donald Trump and far-right extremists have relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Omar with vile personal attacks and baseless accusations,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement, noting the action came with less than 30 days until the midterm election.

A spokesperson for the congresswoman said in a statement: “The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong.”

Omar is running for reelection, and voting is already underway in Minnesota, with more than 127,000 people having cast ballots, according to data from the secretary of state. It is unusual for the Justice Department to take such an aggressive investigative step toward a candidate so close to an election; department policy also bars investigators from selecting the timing of investigative steps to influence an election. Top Justice Department leadership signed off on the search after thorough deliberations given the proximity to the election, and a federal judge ultimately approved it, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Administration officials have previously indicated Omar was facing an investigation, and top officials have accused her, without providing proof, of marrying her brother to help bring him into the United States.

Omar was born in Somalia, fled the country’s civil war as a teenager and later became a U.S. citizen. She was first elected to Congress in 2018 as part of “The Squad,” a group of congresswomen of color known for progressive politics.

Reporting based on coverage by CNN, The New York Times and The Times.