A Former Minnesota Democratic Lawmaker Says the Allegation That Ilhan Omar Married Her Brother Is 'Almost Certainly True'; Her Campaign Calls His Claims 'False'

A prominent Minnesota Democrat is publicly saying the federal case against Rep. Ilhan Omar should not be dismissed, Fox News reports.

The post. Joe Radinovich, who served in the Minnesota House from 2013 to 2015 and is a well-connected figure in the state's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, wrote on X that "the allegation is almost certainly true," referring to claims that Omar married her brother in an immigration scheme. He added that her denials calling it a right-wing, Islamophobic or racist conspiracy are "almost certainly not" true. He also urged Democrats to be careful defending her over a separate probe into her finances, saying no meaningful questions had been answered publicly.

The pushback. Briana Rose Lee, a Minneapolis party activist and former operations director for Omar's campaign, replied, "Joe. You aren't stupid," and called the matter a "baseless and manufactured witch hunt." Radinovich answered, "I'm not stupid," and said he believes "the Trump DOJ has next to no credibility" and that it is unclear to him whether the timing of the raid was appropriate, though "it's notable a DC judge signed off on it." He said he is still "pretty confident this specific allegation is true."

His background. Fox notes Radinovich managed Rick Nolan's 2016 campaign, ran Jacob Frey's 2017 Minneapolis mayoral campaign and later served as Frey's chief of staff. He also worked with Don Samuels, who challenged Omar in the 2022 and 2024 primaries and lost both.

The probe. Fox says Homeland Security Investigations raided Omar's Washington home on Oct. 12 and seized her passport, phone and computer. Sources told Fox the inquiry concerns whether Omar or her late father filled out her citizenship paperwork fraudulently decades ago, which could lead to denaturalization. Court filings referred to her as "Ilhan Omar Nur Said Elmi," and the man she married in 2009, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, is a British citizen. Fox also reports that the Obama administration opened a probe into the marriage in 2016, that it stayed open until 2021, and that the Times reported investigators believed the statute of limitations had passed. Fox says outlets including the New York Times, MSNBC, NBC News and the Associated Press have reported on evidence suggesting the marriage and citizenship may have been fraudulent.

The response. Omar's office has called the allegation a right-wing smear and blames a "vendetta" by President Trump. Her campaign told Fox that Radinovich is "a deeply troubled individual" with an "irrational obsession," and that his claims are "false, biased, and without any evidence."

Note for readers: no criminal charges have been filed against Omar. Radinovich's view is one man's opinion, and he is a longtime political rival. Our earlier stories on the Omar raid and on Tom Homan's comments are on the site.