US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to Leave Her Washington Home After Federal Search

US Representative Ilhan Omar will move out of her Washington, DC, home that federal agents searched last week, she said on Wednesday, noting that the attention brought on by the raid has made her feel unsafe there.

In her first interview since the search, Omar said she is confident she did nothing wrong. Speaking to MS NOW, she said she is “confident in the fact that I didn't do anything wrong.”

Federal authorities are investigating potential fraud in her family's immigration paperwork and have issued grand jury subpoenas to some of her relatives, according to a person briefed on the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Omar was born in Somalia and is a naturalised US citizen. The progressive Minnesota Democrat has been a frequent critic and target of President Donald Trump, who has on multiple occasions pushed for the prosecution of his perceived political enemies.

Omar said she was rattled by the search, which came weeks before the November 3 midterms that will decide control of the House and Senate. She is running for re-election in a deep-blue district centred in Minneapolis and is expected to retain her seat.

Recalling the day of the search, Omar said she woke around 6 a.m. to Homeland Security investigators banging on her door with a warrant. They searched for four or five hours and seized 17 items, including phones, notebooks, a Somali-language children's book and a vintage camera her husband had received as a gift.

The Justice Department has shared few details about the case other than saying it is a criminal investigation.

Omar came to the United States with her family at the age of 12, after they obtained asylum. She became a US citizen five years later, in 2000.

On the investigation, she said: “It would be a huge undertaking to, I suppose, indict a 12-year-old for so cleverly conspiring to defraud immigration services to come to the United States. I'm sure there are a lot of smart 12-year-olds, but that seems like a leap.”

The search drew sharp condemnation from congressional Democrats, who also questioned its timing. The Justice Department has historically avoided overt investigative actions involving candidates in the immediate run-up to an election.

Omar said the agents were “intrusive but polite,” logging the items they took and putting everything else back in its place.

Attention in Washington's political circles is now on the next steps of the investigation and on Omar's decision to leave the searched home.