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Obama Condemns Justice Department Raid on Omar's Home
· Confirmed
In Short: Former President Barack Obama condemned the Justice Department's raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar's home, calling it an effort to intimidate her.
Former President Barack Obama condemned the Justice Department's raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar's home, calling it an effort to intimidate her. Obama said the investigation is 'appalling' and a 'transparent' move by the Trump administration to target a political critic.
According to Breitbart, federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) raided Omar's home in Washington, D.C., last week. The raid was part of an investigation into potential immigration fraud, including allegations that Omar or her father lied about her age on her naturalization application.
Multiple sources told NewsNation that investigators collected garbage from Omar’s home to obtain potential DNA evidence. They also seized her cellphone and subpoenaed her family members.
Obama noted that Omar immigrated to the United States with her father at age 12 and became a U.S. citizen when her father was naturalized when she was 17. He emphasized that Omar has been a 'law-abiding elected official' who has been 'one of the Trump Administration’s fiercest critics.'
The timing of the raid alarmed Justice Department veterans because it occurred so close to the midterm elections and during a federal holiday. The Justice Department has not revealed any evidence against Omar.
Obama warned that if this becomes the new normal, it could set a precedent for future administrations to target political opponents. He said Omar's life has been 'turned upside down' and she has been forced to spend time fighting unsubstantiated charges instead of serving her constituents.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama also pointed out that the Trump administration has previously targeted other political opponents, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and former FBI Director James Comey.
Obama wrote in a social media post that the government cannot selectively target individuals based on their political beliefs or what they say. He urged all Americans to be outraged by such transparent efforts to intimidate.
Former President Obama noted that the raid and subsequent investigation are based on unsubstantiated theories and have no legal basis. He said the Trump administration is engaging in 'transparent efforts to intimidate someone' and that this should outrage all Americans, regardless of their political views.
What this adds
The raid and subsequent investigation are based on unsubstantiated theories and have no legal basis, according to Obama. The timing of the raid alarmed Justice Department veterans because it occurred close to the midterm elections and during a federal holiday.
Background
Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) raided Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington, D.C., home on Monday, as part of a criminal investigation into her immigration status.
Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) raided Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington, D.C., home on Monday as part of a criminal investigation into her immigration status.
What's confirmed
- Former President Barack Obama on Sunday condemned federal agents’ raid on the Washington, D.C., home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., calling it a “transparent” effort by the Trump administration to “intimidate” her.
- The timing of the search alarmed Justice Department veterans because it fell so close to the midterm elections and occurred during a federal holiday.
- The Justice Department has not revealed evidence against her.
What's still developing
- “They asked me questions that related to issues of [Omar’s] immigration and naturalization and also questions related to her father, which would bear on the same issue,” Johnson told NewsNation.
- Powerline Blog was one of the first online news sources to publish allegations of immigration fraud by Omar, including the claim that she married her brother to help him more quickly secure naturalized American citizenship.
- Along with the immigration probe into Omar, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro revealed this week that her office has opened a financial investigation into the congresswoman, perhaps picking up an investigation that the Biden administration had started into her reported multimillion-dollar net worth.
- Relatives of the lawmaker have been named in some of the subpoenas issued by federal prosecutors, NewsNation has reported. [Emphasis added] Another report from NewsNation details how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had been looking into Omar for months before the raid last week.
- “In those cases, the prosecutions either stalled or were dismissed for having no basis in law, and the same is likely to happen in this case,” said Obama.
- “[It] has led the president to repeatedly single her out as someone who he believes does not belong in this country,” said Obama.
- “I’m not going to get ahead of the bureau or HSI, but I’ve been told they have a strong case, and we’ll let the evidence lead where it leads,” Homan told Fox News.