WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota pushed back forcefully after President Donald Trump called for her resignation from Congress, following a federal court filing that identified the lawmaker by an additional name.
The dispute intensified after the Department of Justice submitted a court motion on Wednesday referring to the congresswoman as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar,” Al Jazeera reported. While the filing did not accuse Omar of fraud or explain the origin of the names, Trump cited the document on Thursday on Truth Social to claim she had used a “fake name” and demanded that she step down from office.
Omar dismissed the allegations on Friday, writing on social media that her name “has always been Ilhan Omar” and accusing Trump of promoting right-wing conspiracies through the Justice Department, according to Fox News. Omar’s office also refuted reports claiming she had used an alias, asserting that the suggestion was entirely false.
Dispute Over Court Documents and Identity
The Justice Department’s reference appeared in a procedural motion requesting more time to address requests to unseal search warrant records, Al Jazeera reported. Judicial Watch, The New York Times and 14 other media organizations had asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to make the warrant materials, supporting affidavits and seized item inventories public.
Fox News Digital reported that sources familiar with the federal inquiry alleged Omar’s birth name was Ilhan Nur Said Elmi. The report reignited long-standing claims about her 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, whom critics have alleged is her brother. Omar has repeatedly and unequivocally denied those claims, and her office reiterated that denial following the reports.
When questioned by local station FOX 9 after casting her ballot at an election office in Minnesota on Friday, Omar stated, “My name is Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.” The station noted that an Edison High School yearbook from Minneapolis listed her as a 17-year-old student under the name “Ilhan Omar.”
Ongoing Immigration Investigation
The escalating verbal fight follows an Oct. 12 federal search of Omar’s Washington residence, conducted under a judicially authorized search warrant. According to reports from Al Jazeera and the New York Post, investigators are examining whether Omar or her late father submitted inaccurate statements on immigration forms when the family fled Somalia and entered the U.S. in 1995.
During the search, federal agents took multiple electronic devices, including phones, a camera and her passport, as well as documents, according to reports from FOX 9 and the New York Post. Grand jury subpoenas have also been served to members of her family, the New York Post reported.
Omar, who has not been charged with any crime, condemned the search as political harassment. Speaking to MS NOW earlier in the week, she said up to 25 federal agents arrived early in the morning and searched the residence for several hours, leaving her and her family shaken. She also denied that federal agents gathered her DNA during the search.
What Comes Next
Omar said she intends to relocate from her Washington home because her address became public, prompting security worries and death threats, FOX 9 reported. When asked by reporters in Minnesota whether the federal inquiry could endanger her status as a naturalized U.S. citizen, Omar dismissed the idea, saying federal officials had given her no reason to believe her voting rights or citizenship were in jeopardy.
Federal prosecutors told the court they would provide an updated status report within 30 days of finishing the execution of the search warrant. It remains unclear when the court will rule on requests to unseal the underlying search affidavits or whether the Justice Department will take further formal action in the inquiry.
