Rep. Angie Craig, a Democrat from Minnesota, pointed a state lawmaker towards the ethics complaint process back in 2019 after he suggested looking into Rep. Ilhan Omar, also from Minnesota, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
In her letter from 2019, Craig informed Steve Drazkowski, then a state representative, that he could file a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) if he wanted to probe Omar further.
The OCE’s website indicates that anyone, including the public, advocacy groups, and fellow Congress members, can submit information regarding suspected misconduct to their Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC). Complaints can also go to the House Committee on Ethics.
Craig clarified in her letter that the OCE is the independent agency responsible for evaluating allegations of misconduct against members, staff, and officers of the U.S. House of Representatives, and referred matters to the House Committee on Ethics as appropriate.
This response from Craig came just two days after Drazkowski sent her a letter asking for his concerns to be passed on to the House Ethics Committee, which was then chaired by former Rep. Ted Deutch. Drazkowski had accused Omar of filing joint tax returns with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2014 and 2015, despite them not being legally married at that time.
A report by the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board confirmed that Omar and Hirsi did file joint tax returns during those years. Omar’s legal marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi took place on February 12, 2009, in Hennepin County, and their divorce was finalized in December 2017. Omar claimed in divorce filings that she had not been in contact with Elmi since 2011.
Drazkowski who identified himself as Craig’s constituent, requested her to initiate an ethics investigation regarding Omar especially related to actions before the 2018 election.
He also noted that the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board found Omar had violated several state campaign finance laws. Drazkowski initially pushed for an investigation when he noticed Omar hadn’t filed a required statement of economic interest, which she submitted only after he triggered an investigation.
The board later determined that Omar misused $1,500 in campaign funds for personal tax services linked to the returns she filed jointly with Hirsi. They also required her to repay campaign funds used for travel to various cities including Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.
After receiving Craig’s response, Drazkowski submitted his complaint for an ethics investigation into Omar himself, emphasizing that no one should be above the law and calling for high ethical standards from Congress members.
Even after filing his concerns, Drazkowski found it difficult to get any substantial response through the congressional ethics process. In frustration, he took his allegations to the FBI’s Minneapolis office, sharing everything he had with them, including names and contact details.
However, he described his dealings with federal investigators as lackluster, expressing disappointment over their response. Both the House Ethics Committee and the FBI did not comment when approached. Neither Omar nor Craig provided any comments when contacted about this situation.
