Former President Obama condemns investigation into Ilhan Omar — The Hill
In the United States, former President Barack Obama criticized the federal criminal investigation into Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar. In a post on social media platform X, he said that, in his view, President Donald Trump’s administration is persecuting political opponents and seeking to strip the congresswoman of her U.S. citizenship, as well as potentially deport her because of her criticism of the president.
Obama said that one of the fundamental principles of American democracy is the prohibition of selectively persecuting people because of their political views or statements. According to him, this is precisely what the Trump administration is doing to Omar.
Search and document review
As The Hill reports, nearly a week before Obama’s statement, federal agents searched Omar’s Washington residence and seized her phone. Investigators are examining whether Omar or her father provided false information during the naturalization process when she was a child.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Trump and other Republican Party representatives had previously made allegations of possible immigration fraud. At the same time, no charges have been brought against the Minnesota Democrat. Omar denies all allegations and says she has become the target of politically motivated persecution.
Obama’s and Trump’s positions
Obama also rejected the allegations made against Omar. He said that the Somalia-born Omar arrived in the United States with her father at age 12 and automatically became a U.S. citizen at age 17 after his naturalization. In Obama’s view, the administration is relying on an unsubstantiated theory that Omar had already turned 18 at that time and therefore should have filed a separate citizenship application.
Trump denied his involvement in the investigation, telling reporters that the matter falls within the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice. Obama also mentioned investigations into New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, calling them examples, in his view, of the administration’s persecution of opponents.
