Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., returned to Capitol Hill this week accompanied by two attorneys, following a fall recess marked by controversy.
The lawyers, Amy Jeffress and Joshua Matz, left Omar’s Washington office on Tuesday after what appeared to be a meeting lasting about two hours. Asked whether they were confident in her defense against the federal government, they did not respond.
They also declined to comment on reports that the Obama and Biden administrations had investigated Omar before she accused the Trump administration of targeting her for political reasons.
Omar’s return to Capitol Hill came after two federal departments began investigations into her immigration status and past financial disclosures. In October, Homeland Security Investigations agents searched her Washington home as part of an inquiry into whether Omar or her father had committed fraud on her immigration paperwork.
During the final weeks of her campaign, Omar sought donations to cover her legal defense and said the investigations were politically motivated. She won re-election to a fifth term in Minnesota.
About an hour after the lawyers left her office Tuesday, Omar departed with her husband, Tim Mynett. Asked whether she was worried the investigation could interfere with her work representing constituents, she replied, “I am not.”
She did not answer when asked whether she might leave Congress to let the investigation proceed. Omar smiled and waved as the elevator doors closed. She also declined to say whether she had spoken with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries about the matter.
Both attorneys have represented prominent Democratic officials and have taken on cases involving President Donald Trump and his allies. Jeffress represented former President Joe Biden in a lawsuit against the Justice Department earlier this year. She also served as counsel to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Jeffress is married to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who ruled in May that Trump’s addition of his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was unlawful.
Matz represented House Democrats during both of Trump’s unsuccessful impeachment proceedings in his first term. He also represented E. Jean Carroll in two civil cases related to Trump’s denial of her sexual assault allegations. In addition, Matz represented opponents of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, which restricted classroom instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation.
Omar has not publicly announced any meetings with members of Congress about the two federal investigations. Her public comments have so far come through social media, including a video asking supporters to continue donating as the investigations proceed.
