Former President Barack Obama on Sunday called the Justice Department’s investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar “appalling,” saying the government was trying to intimidate and expel one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal critics.
“The entire weight of the federal government is falling on a law-abiding elected official because she dared to criticize the president,” Obama wrote on social media.
The former president said the recent search of the Minnesota Democrats’ Washington, D.C., home was aimed at “uncovering compelling evidence from 20 years ago that would somehow make their case.” CNN previously reported that the search was linked to an immigration fraud investigation into whether Omar’s father lied about her age when she obtained her U.S. citizenship in 2000.
Omar sought to dismantle the foundations of the investigation, saying she became a legally naturalized citizen in 2000 after fleeing Somalia in 1995.
“That any president or administration would be willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of their feelings about Congresswoman Omar’s political views,” Obama said in his message. “Because if this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe that it will stop with it — or that future presidents, from both parties, won’t do the same.”
Although the government has not yet indicated it would attempt to strip Omar of her citizenship, Trump said in a post on Truth Social earlier this year that he would like to see her sent to Somalia. Omar has not been charged with any crime and the Justice Department has not revealed any evidence against her. Omar challenged the legality of last week’s search and demanded the return of his property seized by federal agents.
Trump told reporters last week that the search “had nothing to do with me.”
“I think he’s a terrible person, but it’s really up to the DOJ. I had nothing to do with it,” he said.
Along with Obama, other prominent Democrats defended Omar. Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives called the search “deeply disturbing” and said it “raises serious questions about the federal government’s continued corruption against Donald Trump’s adversaries.”
Omar, a candidate for re-election, called the searches the “latest escalation” of Trump’s “campaign of political intimidation.” “I will not be silenced,” she said in a statement on X last week.
The search of his home was very unusual given the timing. The Justice Department generally avoids overt investigative activities that could affect an election within 60 days of Election Day, and the search took place less than a month before voting ended.
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