Fellow Squad Member Rallies Support For Ilhan Omar, But Not All Democrats Are On Board

Dozens of House Democrats did not sign a letter led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) defending her “Squad” member ally, embattled Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) — whose real name is “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi,” as she faces a federal investigation into her citizenship.

In the letter — which was signed by 175 Democrats — Jayapal accused both the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department of weaponizing law enforcement against Omar because of her opposition to President Donald Trump, and argued that the investigation could potentially sway voters in her reelection bid.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) signed the letter, but roughly 40 House Democrats did not, The New York Post reported. The absence of their signatures does not necessarily mean they believe Omar did anything wrong.

Among those who did not sign the letter were Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Laura Gillen (D-NY), and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). Save Pelosi, any of those who did not sign hail from competitive districts and might have faced backlash from their own voters if they appeared to side with anyone as far-left as Omar.

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“This weaponization of law enforcement to harass a sitting Member of Congress 22 days before an election is unprecedented and unacceptable,” the letter states. “DOJ has long followed a policy not to take investigative steps relating to a candidate this close to an election if delaying the action will not jeopardize a criminal investigation, a policy which Attorney General Blanche has previously invoked as far back as nine months before an election.”

Despite Omar’s efforts to suggest otherwise, the investigation into the Minnesota congresswoman began under former President Joe Biden’s administration and seeks to determine whether her claim to U.S. citizenship is valid.

Federal law enforcement officials recently raided her Washington, D.C., home earlier this month in search of documents related to her late father’s naturalization — which Omar says took place in 2000. Her father’s role in the Somali military is also in question, as is her actual birth date.

Further complicating matters, a 2023 response to a records request filed by A.J. Kern, a former primary challenger to Omar, said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services could find no record of Omar’s father’s naturalization.