WASHINGTON — Rep. Ilhan Omar’s office said Monday that she had done nothing wrong and accused the Trump administration of political intimidation after federal agents searched her Washington home.
In a statement, her office called the search an abuse of power. It accused President Donald Trump of turning years of inflammatory rhetoric against the Minnesota Democrat into a federal enforcement action.
“The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong,” her office said. Its statement also rejected the use of presidential power against political opponents: “No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies.”
The Associated Press identified the agents who searched Omar’s home Monday morning as members of Homeland Security Investigations. The Justice Department acknowledged a court-authorized search in the Washington area connected to an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Its statement did not name Omar.
Reuters reported that investigators were examining alleged immigration fraud, including paperwork Omar’s late father completed when she was a child. The report cited a person familiar with the inquiry. The available reporting does not independently establish the allegation.
In their joint statement, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar called the search “deeply disturbing.” They accused the administration of using federal power against Trump’s adversaries.
The three Democrats noted that the search took place less than 30 days before the midterm election. “The American people deserve transparency,” they said, pledging accountability for what they called an abuse of power by the Homeland Security and Justice departments.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also criticized the search in a post on X.
“Americans see this for what it is – President Trump is abusing his power to go after political opponents weeks before an election,” Walz wrote.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, accused Trump of trying to intimidate opponents and suppress dissent in his own X post.
“Trump is an authoritarian,” Sanders wrote. “He wants to intimidate his political opponents, the media and all those who disagree with him.”
Sanders pointed to Omar’s arrival in the United States as a child refugee fleeing civil war, her citizenship and her election to Congress. He accused Trump of using the federal government to silence opposition.
Omar had responded personally earlier Monday. In a post on X, she said she was OK and described the search as another escalation in Trump’s campaign of political intimidation.
“I will not be silenced,”
Political retaliation has not been independently established as the reason for the search. The Justice Department’s statement did not disclose the evidence behind the warrant or specify the allegations under investigation.
