Investigation into Ilhan Omar's marriage would have begun under Obama, says New York Times

The investigation into the alleged fraudulent marriage of Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, from Minnesota, began in 2016, during the Barack Obama administration, according to a New York Times report cited by Fox Business. According to the newspaper, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) investigated the marriage that summer and found some evidence of fraud, without details having been released by current or former authorities.

According to the report, no one was charged because the case would be outside the five-year statute of limitations for the crime. A source told Fox News Digital that a federal prosecutor in Minnesota appointed by Joe Biden closed the investigation in 2021. The congresswoman's spokeswoman told the Times that Omar "repeatedly and unequivocally denied this baseless and disgusting conspiracy theory."

Timeline and evidence in dispute

Former FBI agent James Gagliano, a Fox News contributor, reconstructed the chronology: Omar arrived in the US in 1995, became a naturalized citizen in 2000 and married in 2009. For him, the Obama administration backed down because, in 2016, seven years had already passed. Gagliano highlighted, however, that investigators may maintain that the deputy continued to sign documents with possibly incorrect information, which would extend the deadline. Chad Pergram's reporting noted that the deadline for criminal immigration fraud has passed, but there is no limit for civil fraud.

Commentator Paul Mirengoff, a guest on the program, pointed out, based on the reports, that a query of the DHS database would not have returned a naturalization record for Omar's father. In his opinion, if this is confirmed, the deputy would never have been a citizen, and the other issues would lose relevance. None of this has been publicly proven.

House search and legal dispute

Authorities carried out a search operation at Omar's Washington residence on October 12 and took cellphones, laptops, tablets, notebooks and passports, according to Gagliano. The Justice Department asked that the contents of the warrant remain under seal, and the case was taken over by Judge James Boasberg. Legal analyst Greg Jarrett, from Fox News, said that early disclosure could harm the investigation and criticized the judge, in the channel's own assessment.

In Congress, Republican Randy Fine said he would call for Omar's expulsion if it is proven that she is not American, which requires two-thirds of the Chamber. Representative Mike Lawler defended that the Ethics Committee opens an immediate investigation. Obama, in turn, publicly criticized the Trump administration's offensive against the congresswoman, which he called political persecution.

What to watch out for

The episode is essentially political and legal, with no direct effect measured on the stock market, interest rates or the dollar. For investors, the case illustrates the institutional uncertainty in Washington, with disputes between the Executive, Judiciary and Congress on the eve of the elections. There is no indication in the coverage of any impact on public accounts or financial assets. Omar denies the allegations, and no formal charges have been filed.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.