US Representative Ilhan Omar has vowed not to be silenced after federal agents searched her home in Washington, D.C., on Monday, denouncing the move as an attempt to target political opponents and weaponize federal law enforcement.
“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” the Minnesota Democrat said in a social media post. “I will not be silenced.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice told TIME that Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the department as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. The spokesperson provided no further details.
According to Reuters, a person familiar with the investigation said it concerns alleged immigration fraud, including paperwork completed by Omar’s late father when she was a child. Omar, who was born in Somalia and became a US citizen in 2000 at the age of 17, has previously faced unsubstantiated allegations concerning her immigration records.
Omar’s office condemned the search as “an outrageous abuse of power,” insisting that the congresswoman had done nothing wrong.
People in Minneapolis rallied in support of Omar on Monday afternoon.
A Facebook post from the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations billed the event as “Stand with Ilhan” and invited people to gather at Powderhorn Park Recreation Center, 3400 15th Ave. S.
The search also prompted a wave of condemnation from Omar’s Democratic colleagues, who questioned its timing less than a month before the November 3 midterm elections.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar issued a joint statement describing the move as “deeply disturbing” and raising “serious questions about the continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government” against President Donald Trump’s adversaries.
The Democratic leaders vowed to pursue “full accountability” for an abuse of power by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.
California Representative Ro Khanna also condemned the search, saying it was “simply chilling” that political opponents were being targeted in this way. He also expressed concern about the targeting of Muslim Americans and a Muslim American member of Congress.
“Any decent American needs to stand up and speak out,” Khanna said.
California Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove described the move as “fascism in the extreme” and an “unadulterated abuse of power.” She slammed the Trump administration for escalating its attacks on Omar ahead of the midterm elections and attempting to distract from its record.
Trump, meanwhile, denied involvement in the search. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he said authorities were examining Omar closely but insisted the investigation had nothing to do with him.
“I’ve always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me,” Trump claimed, adding that the matter was for the Justice Department to handle.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Omar and her Somali background during speeches on immigration. Last December, he called for her to be removed from the United States during an anti-immigration address, prompting chants of “send her back” from some members of the audience.
Omar responded at the time by slamming Trump for repeating bigoted allegations and describing his focus on her as a “weird” obsession.
The congresswoman has also linked Trump’s rhetoric to threats against her, saying that death threats against her and the community she represents increase whenever the president uses hateful language about them.
The latest search has renewed concerns among Democrats about the use of federal law enforcement against political opponents. The Justice Department has historically sought to avoid overt investigative steps involving political candidates close to elections, although the precise circumstances and legal basis of the search remain unclear.
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