A former federal prosecutor is raising new questions about the investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar as a conservative watchdog warns that the Minnesota Democrat could face further damaging revelations following a raid on her Washington, D.C., home.
Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project, told Fox News that the federal investigations surrounding Omar may be far from over, suggesting Democrats were too quick to defend the congresswoman before learning what investigators had uncovered.
“I think there’s other shoes that are going to drop here,” Howell said.
“That’s why I think the Democrats really just couldn’t resist the temptation to jump out of this before they saw any evidence and just circle the wagons [around Omar],” he added.
Omar is facing scrutiny on two separate fronts, with federal investigators examining possible irregularities in her immigration records while U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office investigates her financial disclosures.
The immigration investigation has already produced more than a dozen subpoenas, including several issued to Omar’s relatives. Homeland Security Investigations agents also searched the congresswoman’s Washington residence as part of the inquiry.
According to Fox News, investigators are examining whether Omar’s age was accurately documented when she entered the United States in 1995 and obtained citizenship in 2000.
Authorities are reportedly looking into whether discrepancies could have affected her eligibility to acquire citizenship through her father under immigration laws in effect at the time.
The investigation also involves paperwork submitted by Omar’s late father, including whether any information he provided was inaccurate.
Separately, Pirro confirmed during an appearance on Fox News’ “America Reports” that her office is investigating Omar’s financial disclosures. Sources told the network that the financial inquiry is distinct from the immigration investigation.
Howell, whose Oversight Project previously sought to eliminate a $1.031 million congressional earmark supported by Omar, suggested the congresswoman’s Democratic allies have begun changing their approach as additional details emerge.
“I will say it appears they’re walking that back a little bit. It has shifted from just a wholesale defense of Omar to a non-substantive defense, talking about, ‘well, this stuff was old,’ or ‘this is political since she’s Ilhan Omar.'”
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The watchdog leader suggested those arguments indicate that it is “not all peaches and cream underneath the hood.”
Howell also pointed to the decision to execute a search warrant at the home of a sitting member of Congress, arguing that investigators likely presented compelling evidence to secure judicial authorization.
“We’re in the speculation zone, of course,” Howell acknowledged.
“They probably got the goods on her,” he said. “You don’t get a federal judge to sign off on something like this in Washington, D.C., of all places, unless there is something that is rather convincing.”
A federal search warrant requires a judge to find probable cause that a search will uncover evidence or items subject to seizure. Its issuance does not establish that the person whose property is searched committed a crime.
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Howell nevertheless argued that the circumstances surrounding the raid were significant, particularly because it involved federal immigration investigators operating under President Donald Trump’s administration and a warrant approved in heavily Democratic Washington just weeks before the midterm elections.
Former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Jonathan Fahey, who also served as a federal prosecutor in Virginia, offered another possible explanation for the timing of the investigation.
Fahey suggested authorities could be searching for more recent federal documents containing information connected to the older immigration allegations.
“I surmise that what they may be looking for is newer things that were used with what they believe is false information,” Fahey told Fox News Digital.
The distinction could prove important if investigators determine that potentially inaccurate information from decades-old immigration filings was knowingly repeated in more recent government documents.
Depending on the circumstances and applicable laws, such filings could potentially create new legal exposure even if prosecution over the original paperwork is barred by the statute of limitations.
Neither the issuance of subpoenas nor the execution of a search warrant establishes wrongdoing. No criminal charges against Omar were identified in the reporting.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
