President Trump has called for investigations into Rep. Ilhan Omar’s finances as Minnesota faces federal fraud probes and protests, but analysts say claims of her vast wealth are highly unlikely
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump escalated his public attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) this week, alleging without evidence that the Minnesota lawmaker amassed tens of millions of dollars while in office and announcing that federal agencies were moving into the state amid unrest tied to immigration enforcement and an expanding fraud investigation.
In a Truth Social post early Monday, Trump said he was dispatching Tom Homan, a senior administration official overseeing immigration enforcement, to Minnesota and asserted that federal authorities were examining what he described as “massive” welfare fraud in the state.
“Separately, a major investigation is going on with respect to the massive 20 Billion Dollar, Plus, Welfare Fraud that has taken place in Minnesota,” Trump wrote, adding that the activity was “at least partially responsible for the violent organized protests going on in the streets.”
Trump also singled out Omar, claiming that the Justice Department and Congress were “looking at” the congresswoman, who was born in Somalia and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.
“She left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars,” Trump wrote. “Time will tell all.”
The White House did not provide evidence to support the valuation cited by the president, nor did it detail the scope or status of any Justice Department investigation involving Omar.
A disputed wealth claim
Trump’s assertion builds on months of conservative commentary questioning Omar’s financial disclosures, which show a sharp increase in the reported value ranges of businesses owned by her husband, political consultant Tim Mynett.
In a detailed analysis published Tuesday, Forbes reported that claims placing Omar’s net worth at $30 million to $44 million are “highly unlikely” and appear to stem from a misunderstanding — or misreporting — of congressional disclosure forms.
In her May 2025 filing covering the 2024 calendar year, Omar listed her husband’s venture capital firm, Rose Lake Capital LLC, with a valuation range of $5 million to $25 million, and a winery, eStCru LLC, at $1 million to $5 million. The prior year, those same businesses were reported at far lower ranges.
But Forbes noted that federal disclosure rules require lawmakers to report broad value ranges and that Omar’s overall assets and liabilities — excluding the businesses’ headline valuations — place her net worth between approximately negative $40,000 and $115,000.
In a TikTok video posted in September, Omar said the figures reflect the total value of the businesses, not her husband’s ownership share.
“The value range listed for the assets reflects the full cost assessment of the businesses, in which my husband is one of several partners, and does not reflect his individual share,” Omar wrote, adding in the video: “Learn to read before you post misleading [information].”
Under House Ethics Committee guidance, members are instructed to disclose the value of their or their spouse’s ownership interest in privately held businesses — not necessarily the full enterprise value — a distinction that ethics experts say can create confusion.
A spokesperson for the House Ethics Committee declined to comment on whether Omar’s filing complied with the rules. Omar’s office also declined to comment on the record.
Oversight and prior reviews
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), have said they are reviewing Omar’s disclosures and her husband’s business activities. Comer told the New York Post that his panel is seeking answers about how Mynett’s firms increased in reported value so quickly, though no charges have been filed.
“There are a lot of questions,” Comer said in an interview. “We’re going to get answers.”
Democrats and ethics specialists caution that disclosure forms report estimates in wide ranges and do not necessarily track liquid wealth or personal income. According to Omar’s filings, Rose Lake Capital reported little or no income in recent years, while the winery reported income of up to $50,000 in 2024 — figures that analysts say do not obviously support valuations in the tens of millions.
The scrutiny is not new. The New York Times reported that the Justice Department under President Joe Biden opened a preliminary inquiry into Omar’s finances in 2024 but that it “appears to have stalled for lack of evidence.” The House Ethics Committee previously dismissed unrelated allegations against Omar in 2021 and 2022.
Minnesota unrest and federal response
Trump’s remarks come amid heightened tensions in Minnesota, where federal authorities are investigating allegations of large-scale fraud in publicly funded social service programs, including childcare assistance. Several high-profile cases have already resulted in convictions, though officials caution against conflating those prosecutions with broader claims about specific communities or elected officials.
The administration has also stepped up immigration enforcement in the Minneapolis area, prompting large demonstrations and clashes that have drawn national attention.
Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, accused Trump of using her as a political foil.
“Sorry, Trump — your support is collapsing and you’re panicking,” she wrote on X. “You’re deflecting from your failures with lies and conspiracy theories about me. Years of ‘investigations’ have found nothing.”
Civil liberties advocates and Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern that the president’s rhetoric risks politicizing law enforcement and stigmatizing immigrant communities. Administration officials reject that characterization, arguing that investigations are evidence-driven and necessary to protect taxpayer funds.
What comes next
House Oversight Committee staff say they expect to provide an update on their review in the coming months. Omar’s next annual financial disclosure, covering 2025, is due May 15, though members of Congress often receive extensions.
For now, the episode underscores the combustible intersection of national politics, social media claims and complex ethics rules — a space where allegations can move faster than verified facts.
As one former congressional ethics lawyer put it: “Disclosure forms are blunt instruments. They can raise questions, but they rarely tell a simple story — especially not the one being told on social media.”
