Donald Trump denied involvement in the federal raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home Monday, but his response quickly turned into a personal attack against the Minnesota congresswoman, whom he called “totally crooked” and a “terrible person.”
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The remarks came hours after federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence on October 12 as part of an ongoing criminal investigation reportedly involving immigration documents submitted by her late father when she was a child.During an exchange with reporters, Trump was directly asked whether he had advance knowledge of the Ilhan Omar home raid.
“Did you know about Ilhan Omar’s house search in advance?” a reporter asked.
Trump responded:
“Well, I understand they are looking at her very carefully. I’ve always found her to be totally crooked personally, but that has nothing to do with me. I think she’s a terrible person. Just a complainer. She comes from a country that is a non-country. And then she comes over here, and she complains about our Constitution. I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ.”
According to Mediaite’s reporting on the exchange, Trump also maintained that he had nothing to do with the investigation, placing responsibility for the matter on the Department of Justice.
His response did not directly establish whether he knew about the search before agents arrived. Instead, he denied personal involvement while repeating criticism of Omar’s character and Somali background.
The Ilhan Omar home raid took place early Monday when agents with Homeland Security Investigations executed a court-authorized search warrant at her Washington residence.
According to the Associated Press, the Justice Department confirmed that investigators conducted the search as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation but did not disclose the evidence supporting the warrant or announce charges against Omar.
Photographs from the scene showed Homeland Security personnel outside the residence, including an officer carrying a box from the property.
While the Justice Department has not publicly explained the full scope of its investigation, reporting has provided additional information about the allegations investigators may be examining.
According to CBS News, sources familiar with the investigation said federal authorities are reviewing immigration paperwork involving Omar’s late father, who completed documents when she was a child.
The inquiry reportedly concerns whether information provided during the family’s immigration process was false or misleading. However, investigators have not publicly released evidence establishing fraud, and Omar has repeatedly denied allegations concerning her immigration history.
The congresswoman was born in Somalia and arrived in the United States with her family as a refugee in 1995. She became a naturalized American citizen in 2000.
The investigation follows months of accusations from Trump administration officials.
According to the Associated Press, JD Vance previously alleged that Omar committed immigration fraud without publicly providing evidence. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also acknowledged an ongoing investigation last month.
Trump himself referenced Omar during a campaign rally in Tennessee over the weekend, suggesting that Vance and other administration officials were investigating her.
That background has intensified questions surrounding Trump’s latest insistence that the search had nothing to do with him.
Omar responded to the federal operation Monday afternoon by accusing the administration of using law enforcement against its political opponents.
According to Axios, she wrote on social media:
“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.”
Her spokesperson, Jacklyn Rogers, also condemned the operation as an abuse of federal power and maintained that Omar had done nothing wrong.
The political backlash spread quickly across Congress, where Democratic lawmakers questioned both the administration’s motives and the timing of the search.
According to Reuters, Democratic leaders criticized the raid as an abuse of power, particularly because it occurred just weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.
House Democratic leaders, including Hakeem Jeffries, accused the administration of targeting a sitting member of Congress during an active reelection campaign.
The timing is significant because Justice Department procedures generally call for heightened caution when investigative activity could affect an upcoming election.
Those procedures do not automatically prevent federal agents from executing a legally authorized search warrant, but they have added to the debate surrounding this investigation.
Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, has been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics throughout his political career. She was first elected to Congress in 2018 and became one of the first Muslim women elected to the House.
Her political history and public disagreements with Trump have become central to the dispute over whether the investigation is being conducted independently.
Despite Trump’s assertion that Omar is crooked, no criminal charges against the congresswoman had been announced in connection with Monday’s search as of the latest reporting.
For now, the Justice Department has not disclosed what agents seized, what specific offenses are under investigation, or whether prosecutors intend to pursue charges.
Trump’s response leaves another question unanswered: whether he knew in advance that federal agents were preparing to search the home of one of his most prominent congressional critics.
