Ilhan Omar's Lawyers Demand Return of Property Seized in Home Search
Theo Al Jazeera
Lawyers for Rep. Ilhan Omar are demanding the return of items seized in a federal search of her Washington, DC home, calling the Justice Department's investigation politically motivated and accusing agents of ignoring a judge's directives. The Justice Department rejected the claims, saying it complied with all court orders and legal obligations.
Lawyers for Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota have asked for the return of property seized during a federal search of her home in Washington, DC. In a letter sent to federal prosecutors on Friday (according to AP), her legal team accused the Justice Department of pursuing the investigation for political reasons and of failing to comply with judicial directives during the search.
“The political motive behind this pre-election investigation and search is all too clear,” attorneys Amy Jeffress and Joshua Matz wrote in the letter. “This search was unjustified and unlawful.”
According to the legal team, the investigation into Omar's immigration history offers no “legitimate basis for any allegation that she violated the law in connection with her citizenship status.”
The letter accuses federal agents of threatening the separation of powers and of failing to follow a magistrate judge's directives for the search of Omar's home in northeast Washington on Monday. According to the legal team, investigators did not provide an advance copy of the search warrant and did not contact the House Office of General Counsel. That notification would have allowed Omar to seek legal counsel and potentially invoke rules to challenge the warrant.
The legal team stressed that the procedures set by the judge were meant to protect Omar's constitutional rights as a sitting member of Congress and to prevent the seizure of documents related to her legislative work.
They also argued that the investigation is politically motivated because it comes close to the November midterm elections. “Historically, the Department of Justice has avoided this kind of investigative activity close to an election, in order to avoid even the appearance of politically motivated law enforcement action,” the letter said.
Earlier, on Monday, federal agents searched Omar's home as part of an investigation into allegations of immigration fraud. Authorities seized her phone and passport and issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, according to The Washington Post. The legal team also asked authorities to preserve audio and video recordings from the search.
The Justice Department rejected the accusations, describing the letter as “full of false and inaccurate allegations.” Justice Department spokesperson Emily Covington said: “Our attorneys and law enforcement partners have complied with every court order and legal obligation, as they always do.”
According to her House biography, Omar became a US citizen in 2000 after leaving Somalia with her family as a child. She has repeatedly rejected conservative critics' allegations about her immigration status, an issue that was also investigated in 2019 during President Trump's first term. Her legal team has requested records related to the 2019 investigation; according to The Washington Post, that inquiry did not find enough evidence of wrongdoing to warrant a full investigation. The scope of the current investigation remains unclear.
The search came days after Trump attacked Omar at a rally in Tennessee, calling her home state a place of “crime and squalor” and suggesting that Vice President JD Vance and others were investigating her. Hours after the search, Trump denied any involvement, telling reporters the matter “really belongs to the Justice Department.”
