Federal investigators have obtained DNA evidence that could substantiate allegations that U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) married her brother to help him obtain a green card, the New York Post reported Monday, citing people familiar with the investigation.
The newspaper linked the purported evidence to Omar’s 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. One source told the Post the DNA was critical to establishing the alleged sibling relationship.
The Post did not publish laboratory results with its report. The Dallas Express has not independently verified the DNA claim. Omar has repeatedly denied that Elmi is her brother.
Evidence follows home search
Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home on October 12 under a court-authorized warrant, as The Dallas Express covered last week.
Investigators have also gathered government records and information from whistleblowers, the Post reported. Two people familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the search, DNA evidence and other material could support presenting an immigration-fraud conspiracy case to a grand jury. The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office initiated the probe, according to the report.
The alleged marriage scheme concerns Elmi’s immigration status. Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000, according to her attorneys.
Omar denies wrongdoing
Omar rejected the sibling-marriage allegation when it first drew public attention during her 2016 campaign for the Minnesota Legislature.
“Insinuations that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi is my brother are absurd and offensive,” she said in a statement published by MPR News.
Her office also rejected allegations of wrongdoing after federal agents searched her home.
“The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong,” her office said in an October 12 statement that accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to target political opponents.
Her attorneys subsequently demanded the return of seized property and challenged the search’s legality, The Associated Press reported. The Justice Department disputed their allegations.
“Our attorneys and law enforcement partners complied with all court orders and legal obligations, as they always do,” department spokesperson Emily Covington told the AP.
