UNITED States President Donald Trump has suggested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the wealth of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar as his administration grapples with the fallout from the killing of demonstrator Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
The Republican president also said on Monday that he is sending his border czar, Tom Homan, to the state of Minnesota, which has been witnessing protests since federal immigration officers fatally shot Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, there on Saturday morning.
“Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “Separately, a major investigation is going on with respect to the massive 20 Billion Dollar, Plus, Welfare Fraud that has taken place in Minnesota, and is at least partially responsible for the violent organised protests going on in the streets.”
“Additionally, the DOJ and Congress are looking at ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan Omar, who left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars. Time will tell all.”
Omar’s net worth has increased into the millions of dollars in recent years due to her husband’s wealth. Omar serves in the US House of Representatives, representing Minnesota.
The congresswoman hit back at Trump, accusing him of invoking her to distract from his dwindling popularity.
“Sorry, Trump, your support is collapsing, and you’re panicking,” Omar wrote on X.
“Right on cue, you’re deflecting from your failures with lies and conspiracy theories about me. Years of ‘investigations’ have found nothing. Get your goons out of Minnesota.”
Previously, Trump had publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to open investigations into his political opponents.
Last week, Trump said Omar “should be investigated for Financial and Political Crimes, and that investigation should start, NOW”.
Omar, who is of Somali descent, is one of Trump’s favourite targets, and he often deploys Islamophobic language to attack her.
The Muslim American congresswoman has been a vocal critic of Trump’s policies and rhetoric, including his attacks against the Somali community.
After Trump attacked Omar and called the Somali community “garbage” last month, Omar accused him of having a “creepy” obsession with her.
“I hope he gets the help he desperately needs,” she said at the time.
In recent months, Trump has been incessantly bringing up Omar and the Somali community, seizing on a COVID-19-era welfare embezzlement scandal in Minnesota in which dozens of people, including some Somali immigrants, have been charged.
Late last year, Trump mocked Omar’s headscarf in one of his rants over Minnesota and its Democratic Governor Tim Walz, saying she is “always wrapped in her swaddling hijab”.
At the same time, the Trump administration launched an immigration crackdown in Minnesota that appeared to be targeting the state’s sizeable Somali community.
But immigration officers’ aggressive tactics in the state have generated nationwide condemnation. Early this month, a federal officer fatally shot Renee Good, a US citizen and a mother of three, as she tried to flee immigration agents who had surrounded her car.
The Trump administration accused her of trying to ram the officer, but video footage cast doubt over that claim.