Investigation into Ilhan Omar's marriage would have begun under Obama in 2016, says Fox Business

The investigation into the alleged marriage of Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar with her own brother, in an immigration fraud scheme, began in 2016, during the Barack Obama administration, and was closed in 2021 by a federal prosecutor in Minnesota appointed by Joe Biden. The information was presented by Fox Business, which cites a report from the New York Times and an investigation by Fox News Digital.

According to the channel, the alleged fraud had occurred in 2009. Correspondent Kevin Cork stated that, after a few years of investigation, the State Attorney had closed the case, supposedly because it had fallen outside a five-year statute of limitations. The charges are allegations, and there was no conviction or ruling mentioned in the transcript.

Political dispute

The program highlighted that Democrats, including former President Obama, classify the current investigation as politically motivated. According to Fox, Obama released a letter this week criticizing the initiative, and the presenters mocked the fact that the investigation was born in his own government. In the presenters' opinion, Democrats should hold the previous administration responsible for not having concluded the case.

Vice President JD Vance, quoted in the video description, stated that the Trump administration does not make prejudgments and lets the facts and the law drive decisions. According to him, there are signs that the American government has started to take corruption seriously, with investigations and, in some cases, prosecutions against public servants.

What those involved say

The current investigation, according to Fox, includes a raid on Omar's Washington home and the surrender of his passport, personal cell phone and computer. Part of the investigation would deal with possible fraud in the citizenship application, either by the deputy's father or by herself.

Omar often calls the accusations a right-wing conspiracy theory. Last week, when asked directly whether she had married her brother, she replied, "Not that I know of," according to the transcript.

Guest on the program, lawyer and former immigration judge in Minnesota Nathan Hansen assessed that the accusations are serious and that the government may seek to build a case of denaturalization. He noted that, in general, the statute of limitations does not apply against fraud that has been concealed, and that a denaturalization process would require demonstrating intent, in a specific action in federal court.

For the reader and investor, the episode is mainly of a political and judicial nature. The transcript does not contain any data on the stock market, interest rates, dollars or public accounts, and the developments will depend on what the investigation proves or not.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.