Hitchhiker Guide: Why removing Ilhan Omar from Congress could prove harder than Trump expects
Trump focuses on Omar
As Republicans campaign against Democrats they hope to defeat next week, Trump has singled out Omar, who represents a solidly blue Minnesota district. She received nearly three-quarters of the vote there two years ago.
Trump has questioned whether Omar is legally in the country and eligible to serve. He has also challenged the name she uses, saying it is different from another name he cited.
Federal inquiry and search
The Justice Department is examining Omar for possible immigration fraud. Federal authorities recently searched her Washington, DC, home and took 17 items, including phones, notebooks, a camera and a Somali phrase book for her children.
A filing in the federal inquiry gives her name as Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, also known as Ilhan Abdullahi Omar. The House clerk’s records list her as Ilhan Omar on 15 financial disclosure reports dating to 2018, before she entered Congress; Minnesota legislative records do the same.
Expulsion faces obstacles
Trump has said Omar would not be legally permitted to serve in the House. The article reports that constitutional requirements and a high threshold for expulsion pose significant barriers to removing her.
A Fox Digital reporter asked Omar about several versions of her name. The records cited in the reporting use Ilhan Omar, while the federal filing includes additional names; the story describes the investigation but does not report a finding of immigration fraud.
Key points
- Trump has urged Rep. Ilhan Omar to leave Congress and questioned her legal status and name.
- The Justice Department is investigating Omar for potential immigration fraud.
- Federal authorities took 17 items during a recent search of her Washington home.
- Constitutional requirements and a high expulsion threshold could complicate efforts to remove her.