Ilhan Omar’s Attorneys Call Federal Search Unlawful, Seek Seized Property/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Rep. Ilhan Omar’s attorneys demanded Friday that the Justice Department return property seized during a federal search of her Washington home. They called the investigation politically motivated and challenged the search’s legality, while the department rejected their allegations. The dispute comes weeks before Omar faces reelection, with authorities examining potential immigration-related offenses and other matters.
Quick Look
- Property demand: Omar’s lawyers requested the immediate return of items seized Monday.
- Legal challenge: They argued the search was unjustified and violated her constitutional rights.
- DOJ response: A spokesperson said investigators complied with court orders and legal obligations.
- Phone seized: A person briefed on the investigation said authorities took Omar’s phone and issued more than a dozen subpoenas.
- Election concerns: Her lawyers questioned the timing and compliance with Justice Department policy.
- Records preservation: The legal team also demanded preservation of recordings made during the search.
Deep Look
Omar’s Attorneys Seek Immediate Return of Seized Property
WASHINGTON — Attorneys for Rep. Ilhan Omar demanded Friday that the Justice Department immediately return property federal agents seized from her Washington, D.C., home earlier this week.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the Minnesota Democrat’s legal team argued that the search arising from an immigration fraud investigation was “neither justified nor lawful.”
The attorneys described the investigation as an effort to target a longtime critic of President Donald Trump, emphasizing that Omar is seeking reelection in the approaching midterms.
They wrote that there is “no legitimate basis for any suggestion that she has violated any law concerning her citizenship status.”
“This vindictive, retributive, and politically motivated criminal investigation into one of the President’s chief congressional critics violates Representative Omar’s constitutional rights and threatens the separation of powers,” her lawyers wrote.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the letter.
Justice Department Rejects Lawyers’ Allegations
The Justice Department disputed the legal team’s account.
Department spokesperson Emily Covington described the letter as “riddled with false allegations and inaccuracies.”
“Our attorneys and law enforcement partners complied with all court orders and legal obligations, as they always do,” Covington wrote in a text message Friday evening.
The competing statements leave the legality and handling of the search contested.
Investigators Seized Phone and Issued Grand Jury Subpoenas
Federal authorities searched Omar’s home Monday.
A person briefed on the investigation told AP this week that agents seized her phone and that investigators issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives.
The full scope of the inquiry remains unclear.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has suggested investigators are examining potential offenses involving her family’s immigration paperwork.
Separately, Washington U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has said “there are several investigations going on” concerning Omar, including an inquiry by her office into the lawmaker’s financial disclosures.
Legal Team Questions Search Timing and Court-Order Compliance
Omar’s attorneys accused the department of violating longstanding policy intended to avoid influencing elections through public investigative actions.
The Justice Department has historically sought to avoid such actions involving candidates within 60 days of a primary or general election.
Monday’s search, conducted weeks before the midterms, drew immediate criticism from Democrats.
The lawyers also questioned whether investigators followed every instruction issued by the magistrate judge who authorized the search.
Alongside their demand for the property’s return, they asked the department to preserve any audio and video recorded during the operation.
Omar Has Repeatedly Denied Immigration Allegations
Omar has long rejected allegations concerning her marriage and immigration historyincluding claims circulated by conservative critics before she entered Congress.
Her lawyers said she became a lawfully naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000.
According to her House biography, Omar and her family fled Somalia’s civil war when she was 8.
“The family spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the United States in 1990s. In 1997, she moved to Minneapolis with her family.”
Conservative websites have alleged that Omar married a brother to commit immigration fraud. She has broadly rejected those allegations as “disgusting lies” and described the insinuation as “absurd and offensive.”
Those allegations remain disputed and should not be treated as established findings.
Trump Denies Involvement in Home Search
The search occurred days after Trump attacked Omar during a Tennessee rally, describing her country of origin as a place of “crime and squalor.”
He also suggested that Vice President JD Vance “and our people” were investigating her.
Hours after agents searched her home, Trump denied directing the action.
He told reporters he had “nothing to do” with it and said it was “really up to the DOJ.”
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