Obama Defends Rep. Omar, Says Government Must Not Target People Over Political Beliefs
WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama defended Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota in a lengthy post on X on Sunday, saying the government must not selectively target individuals because of their political beliefs or speech, as Omar faces a federal investigation.
"It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can't selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say," Obama wrote. "But that's exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota." He added that "the full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president."
Federal agents previously searched Omar's Washington home as part of an investigation into her immigration paperwork. Fox News has reported that investigators are examining whether Omar or her father committed fraud on immigration paperwork when she became a U.S. citizen decades ago. Obama wrote that Omar arrived in the United States with her father at age 12 and automatically became a citizen at 17 when her father was naturalized, and he called the investigators' theory that she was actually 18 at the time unsubstantiated.
The Justice Department, responding earlier to a letter from Omar's lawyers seeking the return of seized property, said the search complied with all court orders and called the letter "riddled with false allegations." The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been announced.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：前总统奥巴马2025年9月在伦敦The O2演讲（资料图）。图片来源：Raph_PH 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 Photo: Former President Barack Obama at The O2 in London, September 2025 (file photo). By Raph_PH, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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