Ilhan Omar plans to leave D.C. home after federal search, citing safety concerns

Omar says threats against her and concerns about her children have made remaining at the residence “no longer” feasible.

Rep. Ilhan Omar says she plans to move out of her Washington, D.C., home after federal agents searched the residence, citing death threats and concerns about her children’s safety.

In her first interview since the Oct. 12 search, the Minnesota Democrat recounted the early-morning operation during an appearance on MS NOW with host Chris Hayes. As NBC News reported, Omar said the search and safety concerns have prompted her to leave the home.

“Because our address has been public and with the death threats that I deal with … it’s no longer going to be feasible to be in that house and have my kids visiting off and on and having people track them,” Omar said, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune’s account of the interview.

Omar said between 15 and 25 agents arrived around 6 a.m. and searched room by room. The operation lasted four to five hours, she said, and agents took 17 items. Among the belongings she identified as seized were two of her phones, her youngest daughter’s phone and notebooks belonging to her husband, Tim Mynett.

Omar said agents “mostly conducted themselves in a decent way” and even folded some of her clothing before leaving. She also said they took a camera that belonged to her husband’s uncle and a book intended to help him learn Somali.

The Justice Department confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Reporting has linked the investigation to potential fraud involving immigration paperwork from Omar’s childhood. Authorities have not publicly detailed the full scope of the investigation.

Omar has denied wrongdoing and said she believes the search was politically motivated. In a statement after the raid, she called it an attempt to “target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” adding, “I will not be silenced.”

In the MS NOW interview, Omar also addressed allegations about her finances and a long-running claim concerning her marriage, calling the latter “insane.” Asked whether there was any truth to the allegation, she responded, “Not to my knowledge.”

“I’m confident in my truth,” Omar said. “I’m confident in the fact that I didn’t do anything wrong.”

The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not announced charges against Omar in connection with the search.