Rep. Ilhan Omar is soliciting campaign contributions following a federal search of her Washington residence, accusing the Trump administration of political retaliation as the Justice Department continues an investigation just weeks before the midterm elections.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is using a federal criminal investigation involving a search of her Washington, D.C., residence to raise campaign contributions, urging supporters to donate while accusing President Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security of targeting her for political reasons.
The fundraising appeal followed Monday’s court-authorized search by Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Federal authorities confirmed the operation was connected to an ongoing criminal investigation but declined to publicly identify the specific allegations or evidence under examination.
According to The Hill’s October 13 report, Omar’s campaign circulated an email seeking financial support shortly after the search. NewsNation, The Hill’s partner network, obtained a screenshot of the solicitation.
“Stand with Ilhan Omar,” the fundraising email stated.
“Donald Trump and DHS have opened a baseless, partisan investigation into Ilhan Omar, and she needs us by her side as they escalate their attacks,” the message continued.
The appeal directly connected the federal investigation to Omar’s political campaign, asking supporters to contribute money to help her continue serving in Congress.
“Chip in whatever you can to make sure Ilhan can beat Trump and keep fighting for our progressive values in Congress.”
The fundraising effort comes three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, when Omar is seeking another term representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. Republicans are also seeking to maintain control of Congress, increasing political scrutiny of federal investigative actions involving candidates.
The Justice Department confirmed that federal agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant Monday morning. However, officials have not disclosed the investigation’s precise focus, announced criminal charges against Omar or publicly released evidence establishing wrongdoing.
The timing has attracted attention because longstanding Justice Department practices generally discourage overt investigative actions involving political candidates close to elections when those actions could improperly influence voting.
Those practices are not an absolute prohibition on conducting investigations during election periods, and a search authorized by a federal judge does not establish that investigators acted improperly.
White House border czar Tom Homan previously acknowledged that federal immigration authorities were examining allegations involving Omar.
“I’m confirming that ICE is, yeah — look, I said months ago that there’s something that’s been reported and needs to be looked at,” Homan said in September.
The Minnesota Democrat has faced longstanding allegations concerning her immigration history, which she has denied. Authorities have not established publicly that those allegations form the basis of the current investigation.
Omar responded Monday by accusing the administration of deliberately using federal law enforcement to intimidate political opponents.
“I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar wrote in a public statement on X.
“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.”
Omar also declared that she would not be silenced by the investigation.
Her congressional office separately issued a statement condemning the federal search, accusing the administration of abusing its authority.
“This raid by Trump’s DHS is an outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies. For a decade, Donald Trump has relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly putting a target on her back. Now, those attacks have escalated to a pointless federal raid. The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong. No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies.”
Trump, meanwhile, renewed his criticism of Omar while speaking to reporters ahead of a campaign appearance in Ohio on Monday.
The president described the congresswoman as “totally crooked” and a “terrible person,” continuing a longstanding political dispute involving immigration policy, federal enforcement priorities and Omar’s criticism of his administration.
Omar, who was born in Somalia and later became a naturalized American citizen, has frequently challenged Trump’s immigration policies and defended immigrant communities, including the substantial Somali American population in her Minneapolis-area district.
The search has also drawn criticism from congressional Democrats, who question whether the administration’s decision to pursue a high-profile investigative action so close to Election Day was appropriate.
The administration has not publicly established a connection between the investigation and Omar’s campaign activities, while the congresswoman has offered no evidence proving that the search was ordered for political purposes.
The competing claims have placed the investigation at the center of a broader dispute over federal law enforcement independence and the treatment of elected officials during election campaigns.
For Omar’s campaign, the controversy has now become part of its fundraising message, with supporters being urged to contribute in response to what the congresswoman characterizes as political persecution.
For federal investigators, the inquiry remains active, with its precise scope and potential consequences undisclosed.
As of Tuesday, October 13, no criminal charges against Omar had been announced in connection with the search, and the Justice Department had not revealed when additional information might become available.
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