A former Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker publicly rebuked Representative Ilhan Omar over claims she married her brother, warning Democrats against blindly defending the congresswoman amid an ongoing federal immigration criminal probe.
Joe Radinovich, a former Democratic-Farmer-Labor state representative with close ties to Minnesota’s political establishment, made the extraordinary remarks in a series of posts on X on Thursday.
‘Democrats should understand that the allegation is almost certainly true – whatever conclusion they draw from that point could vary – and her denials calling it a right-wing, Islamophobic or racist conspiracy are almost certainly not,’ Radinovich wrote.
Radinovich also cautioned Democrats against rushing to defend Omar over separate questions surrounding her personal finances, suggesting the explanations offered by the congresswoman had not adequately addressed the concerns.
‘I’d be very, very careful,’ he warned. ‘Any objective look at the evidence doesn’t look… great,’ he added.
Omar has denied the claims made about her by Donald Trump and his Justice Department, which is leading the immigration investigation.
John Nagel, the Republican seeking to unseat Omar in November, continues demanding she release her immigration records and take a DNA test to squash all rumors.
He made the demand during a Fox News interview on Thursday, arguing that Omar could put the controversy behind her by producing the necessary paperwork.
‘It would be very simple if you are innocent to be able to come up with the paperwork, do the DNA sample,’ Nagel said.
Joe Radinovich, a former Democratic-Farmer-Labor state representative with close ties to Minnesota’s political establishment, made the extraordinary claim that Representative Ilhan Omar married her brother in a series of posts on X on Thursday
John Nagel, the Republican seeking to unseat Omar in November, continues demanding she release her immigration records and take a DNA test to squash all rumors
Omar has denied wrongdoing and described the investigation as an attempt to weaponize federal law enforcement against a political opponent
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‘The people that voted for you have a right to know if they can trust you,’ he added.
The Republican’s comments come as Omar faces renewed scrutiny following a federal investigation that saw Homeland Security Investigations agents search her Washington, DC, home on October 12.
The search was conducted under a federal warrant as part of an investigation focused on immigration paperwork dating back to when Omar and her family arrived in the United States from Somalia in the 1990s.
Omar was a teenager when she came to the US and became an American citizen in 2000.
The Justice Department has since asked a federal judge to keep the search warrant application and supporting affidavit under seal, arguing that releasing the documents could compromise its ongoing investigation.
Prosecutors said investigators were still reviewing evidence seized during the search and had not decided whether to bring charges or whom to charge.
Omar has denied wrongdoing and described the investigation as an attempt to weaponize federal law enforcement against a political opponent.
No criminal charges have been announced against her.
The controversy has also revived longstanding allegations about Omar’s marriage to her former husband Ahmed Elmi, whom President Trump has claimed is her brother.
Omar has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Nagel, a retired Minnesota State Trooper who spent 30 years in law enforcement, has made fraud and public safety central themes of his campaign.
And it’s not the first time he’s demanded answers from the congresswoman.
On October 12, the day federal agents searched Omar’s Washington home, he issued a statement calling for answers and accountability.
‘There have been unanswered discrepancies in that record for years,’ Nagel said at the time, adding that Minnesotans deserved a representative who was focused on serving constituents rather than answering unresolved questions about her own record.
He returned to the issue on October 22, issuing a separate statement specifically calling on Omar to address questions about her legal identity, immigration records and the names at the center of the federal investigation.
He’s also criticized Democratic leadership over Minnesota’s fraud scandals and recently called for a dedicated task force to tackle gang violence in the Minneapolis area.
In his Fox interview, Nagel said Omar deserved due process but argued that she should do more to address questions about her immigration history.
Despite the controversy, major election forecasters still rate Omar’s seat safely Democratic.
The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections both continue to rate Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District Solid Democratic, while Decision Desk HQ classifies it as Safe Democratic.
And according to The Hill’s polling, Omar has a 99 percent chance of winning re-election.
The financial gap between the candidates is also substantial.
Federal Election Commission figures show Omar had raised approximately $8.2 million for the election cycle by October 14, compared with around $1.1 million for Nagel.
