Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said Tuesday that federal agencies have not told her why she is under investigation. She also said she is unsure how many investigations are underway.
Asked whether officials had explained the basis for the probes, Omar replied, “No, no.”
Two federal inquiries are known to be ongoing. The Department of Homeland Security is examining whether Omar or her father provided false information on her immigration paperwork. Separately, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, has confirmed an investigation into discrepancies in Omar’s financial disclosures.
On her first day back on Capitol Hill since the investigations became public, Omar said she did not know whether the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department were conducting separate inquiries.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “You probably have more details on that.”
Before speaking with reporters, Omar met with her lawyers for about two hours at her Capitol Hill office.
The immigration inquiry drew wider attention after federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence on Oct. 12. The search was reported to be connected to questions about her immigration paperwork.
Omar came to the United States as a refugee in 1995, after spending four years in a camp in Kenya while fleeing civil war in Somalia.
Agents reportedly took Omar’s cellphone, passport and computer during the search. A DNA sample was also obtained, according to reports. Omar said Tuesday that “most” of the seized items had been returned.
“I’ve gotten most of them back,” she said.
Details about the investigations have continued to emerge. A federal court filing identified Omar as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi,” a name that shares a surname with her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Some reports have alleged that Elmi is Omar’s brother, an allegation that has not been established here.
The marriage has drawn renewed scrutiny after a report said Elmi described himself as a “gay man” in an academic paper published earlier this year. Omar did not respond to questions about that report in August 2026, several months before the search of her home.
Omar returned to Capitol Hill after winning re-election to represent Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. Her attorneys, Amy Jeffress and Joshua Matz, were seen leaving her office in the Longworth House Office Building after the meeting.
