Lawyers representing Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar stated on Saturday that federal authorities violated judicial restrictions during a recent search of her Washington residence. They demanded the immediate return of all property seized by investigators.
In a formal letter sent to the US Department of Justice, attorneys Amy Jeffress and Joshua Matz argued that federal agents ignored key limitations attached to the warrant. The early morning search took place on Monday, October 12. The legal team from the Washington firm Hecker Fink asserted that the operation violated constitutional protections, describing the ongoing investigation as politically motivated.
The attorneys demanded the return of items confiscated during the raid, including the congresswoman’s cellphone. They also requested the preservation of all recordings and records related to the operation.
According to the legal correspondence, agents failed to provide the defence counsel with a copy of the warrant. The lawyers stated that investigators did not contact the House Office of General Counsel prior to conducting the search.
The legal team maintained that the action contradicted long-standing Department of Justice norms. These guidelines are designed to prevent overt investigative steps involving political candidates close to an election to avoid the appearance of partisan interference.
Federal authorities defended the legality of the operation. Officials stated that Homeland Security Investigations agents carried out a judicially authorised search warrant as part of an active criminal inquiry.
Sources familiar with the matter indicated that the investigation centres on decades-old immigration and naturalization records. Omar has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and stated there is no basis for the allegations.
Investigators have seized her phone and issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas. Some of these subpoenas target her relatives, according to individuals briefed on the probe.
The Department of Justice declined to comment on the existence of any grand jury subpoenas. The warrant remains sealed and Omar has not been charged with a crime.
Omar was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1982. Her family fled the civil war, lived in a Kenyan refugee camp, and immigrated to the United States in 1995 before she became a naturalized citizen in 2000 and was elected to Congress in 2018.
