Ilhan Omar raid sparks ominous prediction from watchdog: 'They probably got the goods'
The federal raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home prompted warnings Wednesday from a conservative watchdog leader that more revelations could be coming, as the Minnesota Democrat faces separate investigations involving her immigration records and financial disclosures.
Oversight Project President Mike Howell, whose group pushed to strip a $1.031 million earmark backed by Omar, says the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) search raises broader questions about congressional accountability and what investigators may uncover next.
His warning comes as U.S. Attorney Jeanine F. Pirro confirmed on "America Reports" that her office is investigating the Minnesota Democrat's financial disclosures, while separate reporting revealed that federal investigators had subpoenaed Omar's relatives as part of an immigration-related probe.
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"I think there's other shoes that are going to drop here," Howell told Fox News Digital.
"That's why I think the Democrats really just couldn't resist the temptation to jump out of this before they saw any evidence and just circle the wagons [around Omar]," he said.
"I will say it appears they're walking that back a little bit. It has shifted from just a wholesale defense of Omar to a non-substantive defense, talking about, ‘well, this stuff was old,’ or ‘this is political since she's Ilhan Omar’."
Howell suggested that Omar’s defenders’ arguments indicate that it’s "not all peaches and cream underneath the hood."
Howell's warning extends beyond Omar to what he describes as a broader failure of accountability in Washington, where lawmakers can champion taxpayer-funded projects that later face questions about their legitimacy.
Fox News has learned that federal investigators are examining whether Omar's age was accurately reported when she arrived in the United States in 1995 and when she acquired U.S. citizenship in 2000, including whether any inaccurate information could have affected her eligibility for citizenship through her father under the law in effect at the time.
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The inquiry also encompasses paperwork completed by her late father and whether he provided inaccurate information. Sources told Fox News that investigators are examining potential immigration fraud spanning multiple years.
Federal investigators have issued more than a dozen subpoenas as part of the immigration inquiry, including subpoenas to members of Omar's family.
The immigration inquiry is separate from the financial-disclosure investigation being handled by Pirro, sources told Fox News.
"We're in the speculation zone, of course," Howell told Fox News Digital, acknowledging uncertainty about the full scope of the federal investigations.
Still, Howell argued that obtaining a search warrant for a sitting member of Congress in Washington suggested investigators had developed substantial evidence, though the warrant establishes only that a judge found probable cause to believe the search would uncover evidence or other items subject to seizure, not that Omar committed a crime.
Howell pointed to what he viewed as a unique combination of circumstances — an HSI investigation under the Trump administration, a warrant authorized by a federal judge in heavily Democratic Washington, D.C., and the proximity of the election — as reasons he believes investigators may have substantial evidence.
"They probably got the goods on her," Howell said. "You don't get a federal judge to sign off on something like this in Washington, D.C., of all places, unless there is something that is rather convincing."
Jonathan Fahey, a former acting ICE director and federal prosecutor in the neighboring Eastern District of Virginia, said the timing of the HSI search raises questions about whether investigators are examining more recent documents tied to longstanding immigration allegations.
"I surmise that what they may be looking for is newer things that were used with what they believe is false information," Fahey told Fox News Digital, referring to the immigration investigation.
Fahey suggested that knowingly repeating materially false information in more recent federal filings could create separate legal exposure, depending on the documents, circumstances and applicable statutes, even if criminal charges based solely on older paperwork would be barred by the statute of limitations.
Former FBI agent Nicole Parker cautioned that Omar might not face criminal liability if her father completed allegedly false paperwork while she was a minor.
"If her father lied and filled out the [citizenship/naturalization] forms, then in my opinion, she will not be criminally held responsible," Parker said.
However, Parker said Omar could face a separate legal question if authorities establish she obtained citizenship through materially-false information.
"It could potentially cause her to be denaturalized and lose her citizenship if her citizenship was gained on false pretenses and false information," she said.
In January, the Oversight Project challenged a proposed $1.031 million earmark for Generation Hope MN's Justice Empowerment Initiative in Minneapolis, a project backed by Omar and Minnesota's Democratic senators.
The group raised concerns about the nonprofit's finances, operations and eligibility for taxpayer funding, including questions about its addiction recovery services at a location shared with a Minneapolis restaurant, whose owner previously confirmed to Fox News Digital that Generation Hope operated in upstairs office space.
"We said, let's go check out those earmarks," Howell recalled.
Conservative Republicans subsequently objected to the funding, with Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, among those pushing for its removal.
The earmark was stripped, and Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, later requested Justice Department scrutiny of the nonprofit.
The funding dispute raised questions about congressional vetting of proposed recipients, but its removal did not establish fraud by Omar or the organization. No connection between the earmark controversy and either federal investigation has been publicly confirmed.
As part of his broader "institutional rot" argument, Howell argued that Omar’s earmark controversy is not unique, criticizing what he sees as lawmakers placing loyalties outside the United States ahead of their constitutional responsibilities.
"This isn't normal. And it only seems normal because it's been happening so much. And I think it's about time we take the oath to the Constitution that members swear seriously," he said.
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"If somebody has loyalties to another place, they should not be in Congress."
Omar has denied wrongdoing and accused the Trump administration of weaponizing federal law enforcement against political opponents. Her office called the search an abuse of power and previously pointed to congressional ethics findings recommending dismissal of allegations concerning her financial disclosures, but did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
Fox News' David Spunt contributed to this report.