Lawyers challenge the search and demand seized items back
Attorneys for Ilhan Omar have formally asked the US Department of Justice to hand back property that federal agents carried away from her residence during a search conducted days earlier. In a letter first reported by the Wall Street Journal and covered by the Associated Press, the lawyers argued that the seizure was neither justified nor lawful. They also pressed the department to keep any audio and video recordings made during the Monday operation.[S1][S2][S3][S5][S6]
The defense letter further contends that investigators may have disregarded limits set by the magistrate judge who authorized the search, and it accuses the Justice Department of breaching its own long-standing practice of avoiding steps that could sway an election. The lawyers also rejected any claim that Omar broke the law over her citizenship status, saying no legitimate basis exists for such an assertion.[S1][S4]
Investigation unfolds weeks before the midterms
The federal probe targeting Omar began only a few weeks before the 3 November midterms, where she appears on the ballot. Reporting indicates that prosecutors have served over twelve grand jury subpoenas, some directed at her relatives, and have also taken her phone. Fox News, quoting people said to be familiar with the matter, connected Monday's search to a criminal fraud investigation involving immigration documents that Omar's father filled out during her childhood.[S1]
The investigation follows years in which Trump and conservative media figures spread unsubstantiated rumors that Omar's former husband is in fact her brother and that the marriage was arranged so he could secure immigration status. Omar, the most prominent Somali American in US politics, has denied the allegation. Legal experts have said that removing her citizenship would not be a simple matter, according to CNN.[S1][S8]
Justice Department pushes back as political fight intensifies
A Justice Department spokesperson, Emily Covington, said in a text message on Friday evening that the defense letter was full of false allegations and inaccuracies, and that department attorneys and law enforcement partners had followed every court order and legal obligation as usual. Separately, Homeland Security Secretary Mullin described the probe as a strong case and said agents had carried out multiple search warrants, CBS News reported.[S1][S7]
Democrats have accused Trump, a Republican, of abusing presidential power to go after a political rival. After the search, the president denied any involvement, saying he had always considered Omar personally dishonest but that the matter had nothing to do with him. Omar responded on X that she was fine and described the operation as an effort to weaponize federal law enforcement against political enemies and as a further escalation of a campaign of intimidation.[S1]
