Dozens of House Democrats Decline to Sign Letter Defending Ilhan Omar Amid Federal Probe

Dozens of House Democrats have opted not to sign a letter spearheaded by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) that accuses the Justice Department and Homeland Security of weaponizing law enforcement against Rep. Ilhan Omar. The probe, which includes a search of Omar's Washington D.C. home earlier this month, has led a significant portion of the Democratic caucus to distance themselves from the Minnesota congresswoman.

Rep. Jayapal's letter, signed by 175 House Democrats, asserts that the timing of the investigation, just days before an election in which Omar is seeking reelection, could influence voters. "This type of interference strips Minnesotans of their right to a free and fair election guaranteed to them under the Constitution," the letter states.

However, approximately 40 Democrats did not lend their names to the appeal. Among those not signing were representatives from competitive districts such as Tom Suozzi, Laura Gillen, and Josh Gottheimer, suggesting a reluctance to be closely associated with Omar, whose outspoken criticism on foreign policy, particularly concerning Israel, has often drawn controversy.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also did not sign the letter, though current Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries did. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat representing a competitive district in Washington, was also absent from the signatories.

The investigation reportedly centers on allegations that Omar or her late father misrepresented her birth year on immigration paperwork. Federal agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant at her D.C. home on October 12, seizing electronic devices and notebooks.

Omar has publicly dismissed the investigation as a politically motivated attack by former President Trump. The letter's signatories argued that the Justice Department has a policy of not taking investigative steps concerning a candidate close to an election unless the investigation's integrity is jeopardized, a policy they claim has been invoked previously.

While declining to sign the letter does not automatically indicate support for the investigation or a belief in Omar's wrongdoing, the lack of unified support marks a divergence from previous instances where Omar faced Republican-led disciplinary actions. In 2023, all House Democrats opposed her removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. More recently, in September 2025, a Republican effort to censure Omar failed by a narrow margin, with Democrats largely voting against it.

The offices of Reps. Suozzi, Gillen, Gottheimer, Pelosi, and Perez did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Post.