FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2019 file photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Omar has condemned State Sen. Oley Larsen, a Republican state senator from North Dakota who posted a long-debunked photo on his Facebook page that purports to show the Minnesota Democrat holding a weapon at an al-Qaida training camp. Larsen has since removed the photo. Omar called the post "pure propaganda designed to stir up hate and violence." (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta File)
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (Horndiplomat) — U.S. Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar said she plans to move out of her Washington, D.C., residence after federal agents searched the property last week, citing concerns about her personal safety following widespread attention surrounding the investigation.
Omar, a Somali-born lawmaker representing Minnesota, made the announcement on Wednesday during an interview with MS NOW, her first public interview since federal investigators searched her home.
The search is part of a federal criminal investigation into possible fraud involving immigration documents connected to Omar’s family, according to the Associated Press, which cited a person familiar with the investigation.
Federal authorities have also issued grand jury subpoenas to some of her relatives, the AP reported. No criminal charges against Omar were reported.
Omar denied any wrongdoing, saying she remained “confident in the fact that I didn’t do anything wrong.”
The congresswoman said Homeland Security investigators arrived at her residence at approximately 6 a.m. with a search warrant and spent between four and five hours examining the property.
According to Omar, investigators confiscated 17 items, including mobile phones, notebooks, a Somali-language children’s book and a vintage camera belonging to her husband.
She described the agents as “intrusive but polite,” saying they documented the confiscated belongings and returned other items to their original locations.
The Justice Department has provided limited information about the investigation, confirming only that it involves a criminal matter.
Omar, who arrived in the United States with her family as a 12-year-old asylum seeker, became an American citizen in 2000.
Responding to questions surrounding her family’s immigration history, Omar questioned the suggestion that she could have participated in immigration fraud at such a young age.
The investigation comes amid heightened political tensions ahead of the November 3 congressional midterm elections, when control of both chambers of Congress will be contested.
Omar, a prominent progressive Democrat and frequent critic of President Donald Trump, is seeking reelection in a strongly Democratic district covering Minneapolis.
Several congressional Democrats have criticised the federal search and questioned its timing, particularly given longstanding Justice Department practices aimed at avoiding overt investigative actions that could influence elections.
Omar said the publicity surrounding the search had left her feeling unsafe at her Washington residence, prompting her decision to relocate.
