Rep. Ilhan Omar gave an unusual response Wednesday when directly asked whether she was related to former husband Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, calling longstanding allegations that she married her brother “insane” before answering that the two were not related “to my knowledge.”
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The Minnesota Democrat addressed the allegation during an interview with MS NOW host Chris Hayes, her first extended television interview since Homeland Security Investigations agents searched her Washington, D.C., residence on October 12 as part of an ongoing immigration fraud investigation.
Hayes noted that President Donald Trump and other critics have repeatedly alleged that Elmi was Omar’s brother and asked whether there was any “weird kernel of truth” behind the accusation.
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“Not to my knowledge,” Omar replied.
Her response quickly drew attention because she avoided simply answering “no” when asked whether she and Elmi were related.
“Somebody put in there that, you know, he had to have been my brother or something to that effect,” the Minnesota Democrat said.
She added that the allegation first appeared on a “Somali blog” before being spread by “right-wing conspiracy theorists.”
Omar said unidentified people later claimed she had introduced Elmi as her brother, but Omar dismissed those accounts as “insane” and said she did not know the individuals making them.
The allegation dates back roughly a decade and holds that Omar legally married Elmi in 2009 as part of an immigration scheme, but no publicly available evidence has conclusively established that Elmi is her biological brother.
WATCH:
Ilhan Omar gets asked point blank if she married her brother.
“Not to my knowledge”
😂💀 https://t.co/Z8gHTID095
— Martin Walsh (@martinwalsh__) October 22, 2026
Omar has repeatedly denied the accusation, previously describing it as a false and offensive attack on her family and immigration history.
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The issue has gained renewed attention because federal investigators are now examining Omar’s immigration records, although reporting indicates that the current investigation extends well beyond the allegation involving Elmi.
CNN reported that investigators are examining whether Omar or her late father provided inaccurate information about her age when she obtained U.S. citizenship in 2000, including whether government documents incorrectly represented her as a minor.
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Omar also told Hayes she no longer plans to remain at the Washington residence searched by investigators because the address has become public and she fears for the security of herself and her family.
“I can’t continue to live there,” Omar said, claiming death threats and concerns about people potentially tracking family members visiting the property.
Omar came to the United States as a Somali refugee in the 1990s and maintains that she became an American citizen at age 17 through her father after he became naturalized.
The investigation has expanded substantially in recent weeks, with at least a dozen subpoenas issued to potential witnesses, many of them Omar’s relatives, according to people familiar with the inquiry.
Investigators have also interviewed Omar’s sister, Sahra Noor, as prosecutors examine potential false statements on government paperwork and whether a broader conspiracy existed involving members of Omar’s family.
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A federal magistrate judge authorized the search of Omar’s residence but imposed restrictions on investigators’ access to seized records because Omar’s congressional work receives constitutional protection under the Speech or Debate Clause.
Omar said Wednesday that agents moved through the residence room by room and removed 17 items, including cellphones, notebooks belonging to her husband, a camera, and a Somali phrase book.
She characterized the search itself as “intrusive but polite” and disputed separate reports suggesting agents obtained her DNA during the raid.
The New York Post separately reported earlier this week that federal investigators possess DNA evidence they hope could help examine the allegation involving Omar and Elmi, although the newspaper did not report the results of any testing or identify precisely whose DNA had been obtained.
That distinction is significant because the existence of DNA evidence does not itself establish a biological relationship between Omar and Elmi, and authorities have not publicly announced that genetic testing proves the allegation.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
