Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said the federal raid on her Washington, D.C., home was intended to “intimidate and scare people” from voting in the midterms, according to her interview on “All In with Chris Hayes,” cited by Fox News.
What prompted the raid
Fox News reported that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) searched Omar’s residence last Monday in connection with an investigation into potential immigration fraud. According to the outlet, authorities are probing whether Omar or her father lied on paperwork that helped her gain U.S. citizenship.
Omar’s allegation on motive
In the interview, Omar framed the action as an election-season move. “I think ultimately their goal is to intimidate and scare people from wanting to participate and vote,” she said. She also suggested the investigation was a bid to appeal to Republican base voters, asserting, “they’re going to try to gin up this sort of frenzy.”
Potential consequence noted by Homan
Fox News added that Tom Homan, described in the piece as a border czar, has said that if the allegations are proven, Omar could be denaturalized.
Omar says backlash may boost turnout
Omar said the raid could backfire, indicating she was hearing about long lines at an early voting site as she traveled to the interview. The partial quote provided reads, “there’s a massive line at [an] early voting site.”
What’s unclear from the excerpt
The Fox News excerpt provided does not include comments from HSI or other agencies about the raid or the status of the investigation.
