Minnesota Dem declined to refer Ilhan Omar for ethics probe despite fellow lawmaker's 2019 request
Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., directed a Minnesota state lawmaker to the congressional ethics complaint process in 2019 after he urged her to seek an investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., according to correspondence obtained by Fox News Digital.
In a 2019 letter, Craig told Steve Drazkowski, then a Minnesota state representative, he could submit a complaint himself to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) if he wanted to pursue an investigation into Omar.
The Office of Congressional Ethics website states that members of the public, advocacy organizations and members of Congress can submit information regarding alleged misconduct to the agency's Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC).
Complaints may also be submitted to the House Committee on Ethics.
Craig wrote, "With respect to your request for an ethics inquiry into Rep. Omar, the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) of the U.S. House of Representatives is the independent, non-partisan entity charged with reviewing allegations of misconduct against Members, officers, and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives and, when appropriate, referring matters to the House Committee on Ethics.
"The OCE accepts and reviews information concerning allegations within its jurisdiction from members of the public."
Craig's response came two days after Drazkowski sent her a letter urging her to refer his concerns to the House Ethics Committee, then chaired by former Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla.
Among Drazkowski’s accusations was that Omar filed joint tax returns with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2014 and 2015, despite the two not being legally married at the time.
Fox News Digital obtained a copy of a report by the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board indicating that Omar and Hirsi jointly filed their tax returns in 2014 and 2015.
Omar legally married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi on Feb. 12, 2009, in Hennepin County, Minn., according to Newsweek. Omar and Elmi’s legal divorce proceeding concluded in December 2017. In a 2017 filing from her divorce case obtained by Fox News Digital, Omar stated she had not been in contact with Elmi since 2011.
"Representative Craig, I am your constituent. In that capacity, I formally request that you immediately forward the attached material, and open an ethics investigation in the United States House of Representatives regarding actions taken by Rep. Ilhan Omar leading up to the 2018 election," Drazkowski wrote.
"This month, the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board issued a report on Rep. Omar, who found that she broke multiple Minnesota campaign finance laws," Drazkowski wrote.
Drazkowski told Fox News Digital he was first prompted to seek an investigation from the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board into Omar after noticing that she had not filed a required statement of economic interest with the board.
The board confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital that Omar submitted the statement of economic interest after she was made aware that Drazkowski’s complaint triggered an investigation.
Drazkowski said the information he included in two complaints to the board ultimately contributed to the board's determination that Omar had violated state campaign finance laws.
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On June 6, 2019, the board issued findings after Drazkowski filed two separate complaints. The board found that Omar had improperly used $1,500 in campaign funds to pay for personal tax-related services concerning the tax returns she filed jointly with Hirsi in 2014 and 2015.
The board also required Omar to repay campaign funds she had used to pay for travel to Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.
After the campaign's 2019 assessment of the violations, Omar stated that she was "glad" the process was over and was "glad" to know that the board did not find her guilty of having used the money for personal use as was first alleged.
After receiving Craig's response, Drazkowski, who lived in her congressional district, submitted his own complaint seeking an ethics investigation into Omar.
"Please find below my formal request for an investigation into the activities of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN)," Drazkowski wrote to the Ethics Committee, which he also shared with the OCE.
"The United States of America is a nation of law and order. No one is above the law, and our elected officials must always be held accountable. We demand the highest of ethical standards from every member of Congress."
Despite submitting his concerns, Drazkowski told Fox News Digital he struggled to obtain a substantive response through the congressional ethics process.
He said he subsequently brought his allegations to the FBI's Minneapolis office after receiving no substantive response from the ethics process or Craig's office.
"I went to the FBI and unloaded all the information I had to them, including names and phone numbers of people," Drazkowski told Fox News Digital.
Drazkowski said he received no meaningful response from federal investigators and expressed frustration with the bureau's handling of the information.
The House Ethics Committee and FBI declined Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
Omar and Craig did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.