Rep. Ilhan Omar rejected a longstanding allegation about her former marriage and said threats were forcing her to find another Washington home in her first television interview since a federal search.
The Minnesota Democrat spoke with Chris Hayes on MS NOW on Oct. 21. Homeland Security Investigations agents had searched her residence on Oct. 12 under a warrant approved by a federal magistrate judge.
Omar denies wrongdoing. No charges had been announced against her in the investigation as of Oct. 22, according to KRLD.
She characterized the case as political intimidation by President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump has denied directing the search, saying responsibility for it lay with the Justice Department.
Omar Says the Marriage Allegation Began on a Somali Blog
Hayes asked about the unproven allegation that Omar’s former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, was her brother. She said the story began on a Somali blog and was amplified by conservative activists. She called accounts from people claiming she had introduced Elmi as her brother “insane.”
Hayes followed up by asking whether they were related in any way or whether the allegation contained some factual basis. “Not to my knowledge,” Omar replied. On Oct. 22, campaign spokesperson Jackie Rogers told the Star Tribune that Omar’s response to the follow-up was sarcastic.
Earlier Reporting Examined the Marriage and Separate Tax Questions
Omar legally married Elmi in 2009, separated from him in 2011 and obtained a legal divorce in 2017. A 2019 investigation by the Star Tribune could not establish whether they were siblings.
Politics editor Kevin Diaz subsequently explained the reporting to PolitiFact. Reporters examined public records and screenshots of social media posts whose originals had disappeared. He said the team was cautious about relying on material supplied by political critics and described significant gaps in available documentation.
A state campaign-finance investigation had separately documented joint federal tax returns filed with Ahmed Hirsi in 2014 and 2015, while Omar remained legally married to Elmi. Omar said she corrected those filings. She and Hirsi legally married in 2018.
She Says Her Family Needs Another Washington Home
Omar recalled being awakened around 6 a.m. by banging at the door and initially thinking there was a fire or another emergency. She said her husband answered the door and agents presented a warrant when she requested one. The search involved as many as 25 agents and lasted four to five hours, according to FOX 9’s account of the interview.
She said investigators removed 17 items, including phones, notebooks belonging to her husband, Tim Mynett, a Somali-language children’s book and a vintage camera he had received as a gift. She described the agents as “intrusive but polite,” saying they recorded what they took and put other belongings back, the Associated Press reported.
With the address now public, Omar said she worried about people tracking her children when they visited. “Obviously, I can’t continue to live there,” she told Hayes, citing death threats. She said the family would have to work out where to move.
Investigators Are Examining Decades-Old Immigration Records
Reuters reported that investigators were examining information supplied when Omar’s family entered the United States as refugees in the 1990s and during the citizenship process. A person familiar with the sealed warrant said it listed possible conspiracy, immigration fraud and false statements as the offenses under investigation.
The Washington Post reported investigators were examining whether Omar’s age was misstated when she acquired citizenship through her father in 2000.
Reuters also reported that Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh required screening procedures to protect material concerning Omar’s legislative work. A coalition of 14 news organizations, including Reuters, asked the court on Oct. 15 to unseal records related to the search.
In an Oct. 16 letter, Omar’s attorneys demanded the return of seized property and preservation of recordings made during the operation. They alleged that authorities had not followed the judge’s restrictions. A Justice Department spokesperson disputed that account and said officials had complied with court orders, according to a separate AP report.
An Ethics Watchdog Recommended Dismissing the Disclosure Allegations
Omar told Hayes that she lives “paycheck to paycheck” and attributed the disclosure discrepancy to an accounting error. Washington federal prosecutors are separately investigating valuations of businesses associated with Mynett, CBS News reported.
Her original filing, submitted in May 2025 for the 2024 reporting year, valued Mynett’s interest in winery ESTCRU at $1,000,001 to $5 million and his interest in Rose Lake Capital at $5,000,001 to $25 million.
An amendment dated March 26, 2026, lists both asset values as “None.” Adding the ranges for the other listed assets gives $18,004 to $95,000. The same document separately reports 2024 partnership income of $2,501 to $5,000 from ESTCRU and $100,001 to $1 million from Rose Lake Capital.
On Sept. 9, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Office of Congressional Conduct had reviewed the disclosure issue and recommended that the House Ethics Committee dismiss the allegations.