Federal agents raided the Washington, D.C., home of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota before dawn Monday, targeting the outspoken critic of President Donald Trump just three weeks before the midterm elections.
The Justice Department confirmed the search, which reportedly involves allegations of immigration fraud related to paperwork completed by Omar’s late father when she was a child. Homeland Security border czar Tom Homan told Fox Business Network that the investigation involved the Justice Department and Homeland Security.
In response to the raid, Omar wrote on social media that the U.S. government is being weaponized to target a political enemy of the president.
“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,” Omar wrote.
Trump denied involvement in the raid, saying the investigation was up to the Justice Department.
The search of Omar’s home took place three weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, in which Omar is seeking reelection. Justice Department policy prohibits federal prosecutors and agents from timing investigative actions to affect an election’s outcome or benefit a candidate or party. The department has historically avoided taking investigative steps involving political candidates within about 60 days of an election, although that is not an absolute prohibition.
In a statement, U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other party leaders said the raid was “deeply disturbing and raises serious questions” about the weaponization of the federal government against Trump’s political enemies.
Claiming that Trump’s “mass deportation machine has descended upon the home of a duly elected Member of Congress and her family,” the Democratic leaders vowed to “deliver full accountability” for what they called a “rogue abuse of power.”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.