The Case Against Ilhan Omar

Federal investigators have raided Representative Ilhan Omar’s house and reportedly seized her devices, pursued a dozen subpoenas, including those issued to her family members, and allegedly scrutinized everything from her arrival as a refugee to DNA samples and what appears to be a sham marriage. Given that authorities have called her very name into question, is Omar, aka Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, finally poised to face justice?

Having literally written the book on the embattled congresswoman, American Ingrate: Ilhan Omar and the Progressive-Islamist Takeover of the Democratic Party, and reviewed the facts and reporting concerning the multiple emerging probes, I believe that Ilhan (I will refer to her by her first name given her disputed surname) likely engaged in several criminal acts and could be liable for civil denaturalization.

Even if federal authorities amass incontrovertible evidence supporting the apparent offenses long hiding in plain sight, securing justice will hinge on a set of thorny and perilous questions: First, will prosecutors successfully navigate relevant statutes of limitation and potentially novel issues created by Ilhan’s father’s death? Second, and perhaps most importantly, can prosecutors prevail in the likely event they litigate in the hostile venue of Minnesota, irrespective of the strength of their case or whether they pursue criminal charges subject to a statute of limitations or civil proceedings that are not?

Here I will focus on the Minnesota-based investigation wherein authorities are allegedly considering charges concerning immigration fraud, false statements, and conspiracy. I do so because that probe could lead to the most severe consequences for Ilhan—up to and including denaturalization and deportation. The Washington, D.C.-based investigation, by contrast, pertains less directly to the congresswoman as it concerns her family’s questionable business dealings and centers on comparatively minor issues concerning dubious financial disclosures.