Defiant Ilhan Omar dodges questions as federal probe into sham marriage, name hits boiling point
Omar spoke publicly for the first time since the probe launched on Friday.
Rep. Ilhan Omar insisted she’ll keep voting in Minnesota as federal investigators probe her immigration history, brushing off questions about whether the investigation could threaten her US citizenship.
Omar spoke briefly after casting her ballot in Minnesota, where she’s up for reelection amid a federal immigration probe into whether she married her brother, lied about her birthday and has been living under an alias.
Federal agents searched the Minnesota Democrat’s Washington, DC home on Oct. 12, seizing her cellphone, while grand jury subpoenas were issued to members of her family.

After no-showing news conference, @Ilhan votes early in Minneapolis then rushes to avoid taking questions from reporters about federal investigations. Asked if she’s been briefed on warrants, Omar responds “They haven’t said anything.” @CBSNews@CBSPolitics@NicoleSgangapic.twitter.com/HVur3KNbm9
— Jonah Kaplan (@JonahPKaplan) October 23, 2026
Omar has denied wrongdoing and called the investigation politically motivated. No charges have been announced.
A federal filing lists her full name as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi,” rather than the commonly known Ilhan Omar. Elmi is the last name her former husband, who has been long rumored to be her brother, and the filing suggests the feds have evidence she was born with that name.
Asked by reporters whether this would be her last time being able to vote, Omar defiantly shot back: “No, and I’ll continue to vote.”
The congresswoman then hurried away from reporters and said federal officials haven’t told her anything about the investigation that could threaten her ability to remain a US citizen.

Shortly after, Omar took to X to blast President Trump — whom she called the leader of the “pedophile protection party” — for targeting her through the “most corrupt DOJ in American history.”
“Whether the news turns bad, this creep reaches for one name: mine. So let’s make it crystal clear. My name has always been Ilhan Omar,” she wrote.
She then called for people to look into Vice President JD Vance’s name instead of hers.
Omar, a Somali-born naturalized US citizen, was first elected to Congress in 2018 and represents Minnesota’s heavily Democratic 5th Congressional District.
The probe centers on allegations that Omar or her late father provided false information on immigration paperwork when her family fled Somalia in the 1990s, potentially affecting her path to US citizenship, per sources. The are also examining DNA evidence to determine if her former husband was her brother.
Investigations are also examining her father’s immigration records. A separate Justice Department inquiry is looking into Omar’s financial disclosures after she amended a filing that initially reported million dollars in assets, later attributing the discrepancy to an accounting error.
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