Former President Barack Obama defended Rep. Ilhan Omar on Sunday, accusing the Trump administration of weaponizing federal law enforcement agencies to intimidate an outspoken political opponent.
Obama’s remarks followed an Oct. 12 federal search of the Minnesota Democrat’s Washington, D.C., home. The criminal inquiry is examining whether Omar or her late father committed fraud on paperwork filed during her naturalization process decades ago, Fox News Digital reported.
Writing Sunday on X, Obama asserted that the administration is seeking to denaturalize and deport Omar due to her criticism of President Donald Trump. “It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say,” Obama wrote. “But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.”
Obama defended Omar’s status, stating she entered the United States with her father when she was 12 years old and automatically acquired citizenship at 17 upon her father’s naturalization. He described claims that she was 18 at the time, which would have required an independent application, as an “unsubstantiated theory.”
Administration Confirms Deportation Possibility
Trump denied having a role in the investigation, telling reporters the issue belongs to the Justice Department while remarking, “I’ve always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me.”
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis pushed back against Obama’s comments in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying Trump “has not weaponized the Department of Justice against his political foes” and that the agency remains committed to law and order.
However, top administration figures have openly discussed stripping the lawmaker of her status. Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, told Fox News on Saturday that officials could “of course” denaturalize and deport Omar if investigators find evidence of naturalization fraud. In addition, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin called the investigation a “strong case” during an interview on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” an unusual public comment regarding an active grand jury matter, CBS News reported.
Defense Attorneys Allege Constitutional Violations
Omar has denied any wrongdoing, stating that she and her family fled Somalia’s civil war, lived in a refugee camp in Kenya, and lawfully arrived in the U.S. in the 1990s. Her father died in June 2020.
In an Oct. 16 letter obtained by CBS News, Omar’s attorneys Amy Jeffress and Joshua Matz accused the Justice Department of violating a magistrate judge’s order designed to shield her legislative privileges under the Constitution’s speech and debate clause. The lawyers claimed Homeland Security Investigations agents seized Omar’s phone, prevented her from reaching legal counsel for more than an hour, and failed to alert the House of Representatives Office of General Counsel.
Omar’s legal team also argued that taking aggressive, overt enforcement actions against an elected official just weeks before the November midterm elections flouted longstanding Justice Department guidelines aimed at avoiding election interference.
A Justice Department spokesperson rejected the allegations, telling CBS News that the letter was “riddled with false allegations” and asserting that law enforcement partners complied fully with court orders. Omar’s attorneys have demanded the immediate return of her seized belongings and the preservation of all recordings captured during the search.
