Ilhan Omar’s defense: pre-election search broke Justice Department rules

Attorneys for Rep. Ilhan Omar argue the search of her home weeks before the election violated Justice Department policy and the judge’s instructions. The department rejects the accusations.

Lawyers for Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar accused the Justice Department of breaking its own longstanding rules against steps that could sway an election by searching her Washington home just weeks before the midterms.

In Friday’s letter to the department, the attorneys demanded the return of seized property, including Omar’s phone, and the preservation of all recordings made by agents. Homeland Security officers conducted the search on Oct. 12 under a warrant approved by a federal magistrate judge; according to The Washington Post, the defense believes authorities did not respect the judge’s restrictions.

Several investigations

The U.S. Justice Department building in Washington (file photo)

The search was part of an immigration fraud investigation, with more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas issued, including to Omar’s relatives, according to a person briefed on the probe. Washington U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said “there are several investigations going on,” mentioning a review of financial disclosures, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin pointed to the family’s immigration paperwork.

Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000, and her lawyers call the probe persecution of a Trump critic. Justice Department spokesperson Emily Covington responded that the letter is “riddled with false allegations and inaccuracies” and that all court orders were followed. Trump said he had “nothing to do” with the search.

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