Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar addressed a long-standing allegation about her former marriage during her first interview since Homeland Security agents searched her home, responding, “Not to my knowledge,” when asked whether she had married her brother.
The 44-year-old Minnesota lawmaker faced the question during a television interview Wednesday, just days after federal investigators raided her Washington, DC, residence as part of an alleged immigration fraud inquiry.
Omar, a leading progressive and member of the so-called “Squad,” rejected the accusation as “insane” and said it had been promoted by right-wing conspiracy theorists.
But when MS NOW host Chris Hayes asked whether there was any possibility she was related to her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, Omar gave a notably qualified response.
“Not to my knowledge,” she said.
The exchange came during Omar’s first major interview since Homeland Security Investigations agents carried out a search warrant at her home last week. Authorities reportedly removed phones, computers and other personal items during the operation.
Hayes introduced the subject by noting that the extraordinary claim has been repeatedly circulated by President Donald Trump and other political opponents of the congresswoman.
“There are right-wing people who believe this man was your brother. You have described that as a disgusting lie,” Hayes told Omar.
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar gave a qualified response when asked about claims that she married her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, to commit immigration fraud
Homeland Security Investigations agents search the Washington, DC, home of Rep. Ilhan Omar on October 12 during an ongoing criminal investigation
He then asked about Elmi directly: “Who was this man who was your husband? When did people begin claiming he was your brother, and why?”
Omar said the story first appeared on a Somali blog before being repeated by conservative activists in Minneapolis.
“It started with the Somali blog. I don’t know if it still exists, but someone wrote that he must have been my brother, or something along those lines,” she said.
She also dismissed accounts from alleged witnesses who claimed Omar had introduced Elmi as her sibling, calling those claims “insane.”
Hayes then sought a direct answer about whether any part of the allegation was true.
“You weren’t related to him at all?” he asked.
“Not that—” Omar began.
Hayes pressed further, asking whether there was “some weird kernel of truth” behind the story.
“Not to my knowledge,” Omar replied.
The wording drew attention because Hayes had specifically asked about the allegation that Omar married her brother, yet her response was qualified rather than an unequivocal denial.
Omar broke her silence in a wide-ranging interview with MS NOW addressing explosive allegations about her former marriage, the federal raid on her home and what she claims is a politically motivated campaign by the Trump administration
Homeland Security officers carry boxes from the Washington residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. last Monday during a search of her home
HSI agents are pictured at the entrance of Omar’s home last Monday
Omar accused her critics of finding supposed witnesses who claimed she had introduced Elmi as her sibling.
‘They just kind of went and found random people who were like, she introduced us. She introduced him to us and said he was her brother, which is, you know, insane.’
Omar insisted she did not recognize the individuals making those claims.
There is no established evidence that Elmi is Omar’s brother, and the congresswoman has consistently denied the allegation.
The interview also provided Omar’s most detailed account yet of the dramatic federal search that has placed her citizenship and personal affairs under intense scrutiny.
She claimed approximately 15 to 25 agents arrived at her residence at 6am, pounding on doors while she and her family were asleep.
‘I only had two and a half hours of sleep when they came, you know, pounding on the doors,’ she recalled.
Omar said she initially feared an emergency was unfolding outside.
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‘I thought something was on fire. I thought something was happening to the neighbors,’ she explained.
The congresswoman said agents spent between four and five hours searching the property, eventually removing 17 items, including several phones, notebooks, a vintage camera and a Somali language book.
She described the operation as ‘intrusive but polite,’ acknowledging that agents treated her belongings carefully and even folded some of her clothes.
Nevertheless, she accused the Trump administration of orchestrating an intimidating spectacle designed to satisfy the president’s supporters.
‘They had to do something, I believe, to say, hey, look, we raided her house,’ she alleged.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Ilhan Omar of immigration fraud and suggested she could face jail time
Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar has fiercely denied allegations of immigration fraud, accusing the Trump administration of pursuing a politically motivated investigation against her
Federal investigators are examining possible immigration fraud, with the Minnesota US Attorney’s Office investigating whether false statements were made in immigration documents concerning Omar’s birth date.
Investigators have issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including some involving Omar’s relatives.
The congresswoman maintains that she legally obtained American citizenship at 17 through her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, who became a naturalized citizen in 2000.
She suggested investigators were now focusing on documents completed by her late father, who can no longer defend himself.
‘It’s also very convenient because my dad is no longer alive,’ Omar told Hayes. ‘So it’s another thing they can drag on forever.’
Trump has publicly suggested Omar could face imprisonment if investigators establish that she committed immigration fraud.
‘She could go to jail,’ the president said on Tuesday. ‘They keep talking about deportation.’
Omar, however, insisted she had committed no wrongdoing and accused the administration of pursuing a politically motivated campaign against her.
She also addressed separate questions surrounding her family’s finances after congressional disclosure documents appeared to value business interests connected to her husband, Tim Mynett, at approximately $30 million.
Omar’s husband, political consultant Tim Mynett, has also faced scrutiny over his business finances after congressional disclosures initially suggested his company interests were worth millions, a valuation Omar says was subsequently revised sharply downward
Omar’s husband, Tim Mynett, was at home when federal agents arrived at dawn to search the couple’s Washington, DC, residence. They are pictured here in a post from February 2024
That figure was subsequently revised substantially downward, with Hayes saying liabilities reduced the reported valuation to around $20,000.
Omar rejected suggestions that she was secretly wealthy, portraying herself as an ordinary working American struggling with everyday expenses.
‘I mean, it’s, you know, working, working class, I guess, like paycheck to paycheck still,’ she said.
‘We’ve got four kids. And, you know, we live, I think, like a basic life.’
She pointed to the family’s modest vehicle as evidence.
‘I have a Toyota Camry that’s from 2016. It’s our only car. I rent my DC place and my Minneapolis place.’
Omar also revealed that she intends to leave her Washington residence after its address became public following the search.
Citing the death threats she regularly receives, she said remaining at the property would endanger her family’s privacy and security.
‘I can’t continue to live there,’ she declared.
Despite the mounting legal and political pressure, Omar insisted she would not be driven out of Congress.
She claimed the president’s ultimate objective was to force her from public office, arguing that her opponents resented someone of her background and faith holding political power.
‘I think that’s ultimately the thing that they want,’ she said.