USAupdated 2h ago2 min read
Barack Obama Calls Trump Justice Department Investigation Into Ilhan Omar Appalling
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Obama called the DOJ probe into Omar appalling and intimidation of a critic. He said the Trump administration weaponized the federal government against political opponents.
Obama calls probe appalling
Former President Barack Obama attacked the Justice Department’s investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar as “appalling,” saying the government is attempting to intimidate and deport one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics.
Obama wrote on social media that “The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president,” and he said the recent search of Omar’s Washington, DC, home aimed to “uncover a nonexistent smoking gun from 20 years ago.”
CNN reported that the search was related to an immigration fraud probe investigating whether Omar’s father lied about her age when she obtained her US citizenship in 2000.
Obama said Omar has sought to dismantle the basis of the probe, arguing she became a lawfully naturalized citizen in 2000 after fleeing Somalia in 1995, and he said Omar has disputed the legality of last week’s search and demanded the return of her property seized by federal agents.
Trump, White House push back
Trump denied involvement in the investigation, telling reporters last week that the search “has nothing to do with me,” while he also said, “I’ve always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me.” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said the White House pushed back on Obama’s comments by arguing, “Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump has not weaponized the Department of Justice against his political foes,” and she added that “The Department is focused on restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe.”
Fox News Digital’s account said federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home as part of a criminal investigation into her immigration status, and it said investigators were examining whether Omar or her father committed fraud on immigration paperwork when she became a U.S. citizen decades ago. Obama’s statement also accused the administration of targeting political opponents, and he warned that if intimidation becomes “the new normal,” there is “no reason to believe it will stop with her.”
Homan defends raid, Omar responds
White House border czar Tom Homan defended the raid on Omar’s D.C. home last week, arguing the federal government has a “strong case” against the Minnesota Democrat.
Homan told Fox News that Homeland Security Investigations led the raid and that he had “been told they have a strong case,” while he said, “We’ll let the evidence lead where it leads but she’ll be held to the same standard you and I are held.”
The raid occurred on Oct. 12, and federal agents seized items including the congresswoman’s cellphone and passport as part of a probe into immigration fraud and questions about citizenship paperwork Omar’s late father prepared in 1995.
Omar called the raid “an outrageous abuse of power” and said it was conducted by President Donald Trump’s administration to “intimidate his political enemies,” while the article said Omar is running for her fifth term for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.