Ilhan Omar is catching fresh heat back home after skipping a Minnesota legislative hearing probing possible ties to the state’s massive COVID-era fraud scandal.
State Rep. Kristin Robbins, a Republican who chairs the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, sent Omar a formal letter dated April 22 demanding answers and documents after the congresswoman failed to show up for a committee hearing she was invited to attend.
“Minnesotans and the Members of the House Fraud Prevention & State Oversight Committee were disappointed that you failed to appear before our committee to answer questions,” Robbins wrote in the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital. Robbins said Omar was invited to testify about the MEALS Act, a 2020 federal COVID relief measure Omar sponsored that expanded access to child nutrition funding.
Robbins’ letter says Omar’s office did not respond to the invitation and now requests a detailed paper trail anyway, including communications tied to Omar’s public push for expanded meal program access.
Robbins is asking Omar to produce emails, texts and meeting records involving the Minnesota Department of Education, constituents and outside groups connected to the child nutrition programs that later became central to the Feeding Our Future case.
The letter also zeroes in on Omar’s promotion of Safari Restaurant, a Minneapolis business later linked to the program. Robbins cited a Somali-language TV appearance in which Omar highlighted Safari Restaurant as a meal distribution site and demanded communications related to the video and the restaurant’s participation.
Robbins said lawmakers played the clip during Tuesday’s hearing as they discussed Omar’s connections to individuals in the Minneapolis Somali community tied to the scandal.
“She didn’t even respond, ghosted us,” Robbins told Fox News Digital. “And her Meals Act is what created the conditions that allowed Feeding Our Future to happen.”
Asked whether Omar has replied to any committee outreach, Robbins said, “No, we’ve sent multiple emails, multiple letters, nothing.”
The document request goes further, seeking records of any contact between Omar and a list of people charged or implicated in the Feeding Our Future case, including nonprofit founder Aimee Bock and dozens of alleged co-conspirators.
Robbins also raised questions about political donations Omar received from individuals later charged in the case, requesting “any and all” communications with those donors.
Robbins, who is running for Minnesota governor, asked Omar to provide written answers and the requested materials by May 5.
The letter is the latest escalation in Republican scrutiny of Feeding Our Future, which federal prosecutors say involved the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded child nutrition aid during the pandemic.
Robbins’ demand comes as Omar faces additional political headwinds, including renewed attention on her financial disclosures and other allegations raised by national Republicans.
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