Not surprisingly, Democrats are coming to the aid of left-wing ‘Squad’ Rep. Ilhan Omar following an investigation and a Department of Homeland Security raid on her Washington, D.C., home last week.
But what’s also true is that their criticisms of President Trump over the raid are monumentally hypocritical, given the Biden administration’s investigations into the 45th and 47th president as well as the actual indictments.
One of the most hypocritical is former President Barack Obama, who launched a blistering attack on the Trump administration Sunday over the federal investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar’s immigration history, accusing the government of improperly targeting one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal political opponents.
Obama issued a lengthy statement after federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence as part of an investigation examining whether she or members of her family provided false information during the immigration and naturalization process decades ago.
“It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals” because of their political beliefs, Obama wrote, arguing that the administration is doing precisely that to Omar.
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Obama described the investigation as “appalling” and claimed the administration was attempting to find evidence that could ultimately be used to challenge Omar’s citizenship and potentially remove her from the country.
The former president focused heavily on Omar’s age when her father became a naturalized citizen in 2000, a question that has reportedly become a significant part of the federal investigation.
Obama said Omar entered the United States with her family as a Somali refugee at age 12 and was 17 when her father naturalized, which he said allowed her to derive citizenship through him.
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Investigators are reportedly examining whether Omar’s birth date was accurately represented on immigration documents and whether she was actually still a minor when her father became a citizen.
Federal authorities are also examining whether Omar’s late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, omitted or misrepresented information about his previous military service in Somalia when seeking legal status in the United States.
Obama dismissed the citizenship questions as an “unsubstantiated theory” and accused investigators of searching for evidence to support a conclusion that he believes has already been disproven.
The former president went further by arguing that Omar’s fierce opposition to Trump was the true reason she had attracted federal scrutiny, an allegation the administration disputes.
Trump has denied directing the investigation, telling reporters last week that the search had “nothing to do with me” and that the matter was being handled by the Justice Department.
The current investigation has nevertheless become considerably broader than a review of Omar’s citizenship records, with authorities issuing more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including subpoenas involving some of her relatives.
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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has also revealed that investigators executed multiple search warrants on the same day Omar’s residence was searched and has publicly characterized the government’s evidence as a “strong case.”
Republicans and conservatives countered Obama’s complaints with several examples of his targeting of GOP opponents and then-2016 GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, as well as Democrats wanting to do the same thing to Republicans if they ever regain power.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin just said that he wants to prosecute everyone who works for President Trump and that her goal is for young conservatives coming out of school to be afraid of working in a Republican administration pic.twitter.com/2ycIvMclYL
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 17, 2026
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Barack Hussein Obama ORDERED the CIA and FBI make up evidence to target President Trump as “Russian agent”
You should be rotting in a jail cell not making pathetic posts defending a criminal illegal alien. pic.twitter.com/YH1Dhmr3px
— J (@JayTC53) October 18, 2026
Reuters reported that the sealed warrant connected to Omar’s home identifies conspiracy, immigration fraud and false statements on immigration paperwork among the potential offenses under investigation.
No criminal charges have been filed against Omar, and the existence of search warrants and grand jury subpoenas does not establish that she committed any crime.
Complicating the administration’s case politically, federal immigration officials previously reviewed allegations involving Omar during Trump’s first term and ultimately found insufficient evidence to pursue a full investigation.
Former officials involved in that 2019 review told The Washington Post that investigators examined both questions about Omar’s birth date and her father’s background but did not identify sufficient evidence of immigration wrongdoing.
Whether the current investigation has uncovered evidence that was unavailable during that earlier review has not been publicly disclosed.
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Obama also accused Trump’s Justice Department of establishing a broader pattern of targeting perceived political enemies, pointing to previous investigations and prosecutions involving other prominent Trump critics.
He warned that Americans should be concerned regardless of their opinion of Omar because future administrations of either party could eventually employ similar tactics against their own opponents.
Omar has echoed that argument, describing the search as political intimidation and insisting that she has committed no immigration or citizenship fraud.
Her attorneys have separately demanded the return of property seized from her home and accused investigators of violating safeguards imposed by the federal magistrate judge who approved the search, allegations the Justice Department denies.
The investigation comes only weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, when Omar is seeking another term representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, adding another layer of controversy to an already politically explosive case.
Obama’s unusually forceful intervention now ensures the dispute will extend well beyond Omar herself, turning the investigation into a broader confrontation over presidential power, Justice Department independence and the limits of federal investigations involving elected political opponents.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
