Ilhan Omar: Home raid intended to intimidate voters

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., stated that the Homeland Security Investigations raid on her Washington D.C. home was an attempt to "intimidate and scare people" away from voting in the midterm elections.

Authorities are investigating allegations that Omar or her father may have provided false information on paperwork related to her citizenship. Former Border czar Tom Homan has indicated that Omar could face denaturalization if the claims are substantiated.

In an interview, Omar suggested that the timing of the investigation was a deliberate effort by President Donald Trump to appeal to right-wing supporters. "I think they were like starting to lose faith that these were empty promises, and they had to do something, I believe, to say, 'Hey, look, we raided her house,'" Omar said. She posited that such actions are aimed at demonstrating that the administration is addressing concerns about voter fraud and to "save face."

Omar expressed that the administration's focus on alleged undocumented voters was intended to create a sense of urgency. "And so they, you know, they’re going to try to gin up this sort of frenzy," she added. "And, I think ultimately their goal is to intimidate and scare people from wanting to participate and vote."

Despite the raid, Omar believes the action may have the opposite intended effect, potentially galvanizing voters. "As I was driving up here today, we were getting calls that people, you know, are just like, there’s a massive line at early voting sites," she reported. "And a lot of our staff that are, you know, helping people drive to go vote are saying, you know, ‘We don’t have the capacity to keep up with the requests that we’re getting of people who need assistance to get to the early voting site.’ I think it’s doing the opposite."

President Trump commented on the allegations, stating that if they are proven true, Omar could be jailed. "Well, she could be. She could also go to jail," Trump said. He also characterized the congresswoman as "a very dishonest person" who "hates our country."