Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the Department of Justice has launched an investigation into Ilhan Omar, probing whether the Congresswoman committed fraud, reviving years-old allegations tied to claims that the Minnesota Democrat married her brother as part of an immigration scheme.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Vance said the administration’s anti-fraud task force is examining the allegations as part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to crack down on fraud and abuse involving federal programs.
“You read the things about Ilhan Omar… who she married and whether she didn’t marry this person or that person,” Vance said. “It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody’s entitled to equal justice under the law.”
The remarks instantly reignited scrutiny surrounding the long-running investigation into Ilhan Omar and accusations that first surfaced during her early political rise in Minnesota. Critics have alleged for years that Omar married a man believed to be her brother in order to help him obtain legal immigration status in the United States.
Omar has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them false and politically motivated. Public records confirm that Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009 before later divorcing him, though no official finding has concluded that the two were related.
Vance also referenced comments he made earlier this year during an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, where he claimed he had discussed the matter with White House immigration adviser Stephen Miller.
“We think Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America,” Vance said during that interview.
The vice president stressed Tuesday that any potential prosecution would depend on evidence uncovered by investigators.
“If we believe that a crime has been committed, we’ll prosecute it,” Vance told reporters. “And that’s something the Department of Justice is looking at right now.”
The investigation into Ilhan Omar comes as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement efforts nationwide and places renewed focus on alleged fraud tied to asylum claims, federal benefits, and identity documentation.
Omar, one of the highest-profile progressive Democrats in Congress and a frequent Trump critic, blasted similar allegations in the past as “lies” pushed by Republicans and conservative media figures.
The Minnesota congresswoman arrived in the United States from Somalia as a refugee in the 1990s before becoming a U.S. citizen in 2000. She later made history as one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress.
Neither the DOJ nor Omar’s congressional office has publicly released details about the reported probe.
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