A conservative watchdog leader who previously scrutinized taxpayer funding backed by Rep. Ilhan Omar is predicting additional revelations could emerge from the federal investigations surrounding the Minnesota Democrat following the court-authorized search of her Washington, D.C., home.
Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project, said the Homeland Security Investigations search raises questions about what evidence federal authorities have gathered as investigators separately examine Omar’s immigration history and financial disclosures.
“I think there’s other shoes that are going to drop here,” Howell told Fox News Digital while discussing the rapidly expanding scrutiny surrounding Omar. “That’s why I think the Democrats really just couldn’t resist the temptation to jump out of this before they saw any evidence and just circle the wagons [around Omar],” he added.
Howell acknowledged that significant details about the investigation remain sealed, saying investigators and outside observers are still in the “speculation zone” when attempting to determine exactly what evidence federal authorities possess.
But Howell argued that the extraordinary decision to obtain and execute a search warrant at the residence of a sitting member of Congress suggests investigators presented evidence they considered significant enough to justify the search.
“They probably got the goods on her,” Howell said, arguing that obtaining judicial authorization for such a politically sensitive search in Washington would require investigators to present a convincing basis for the warrant.
Howell also criticized Democrats who immediately rallied around Omar following the search, arguing that some of her defenders condemned the investigation before knowing what evidence federal investigators had collected, which is par for the course.
He added that Democratic defenses have since shifted toward emphasizing the age of the immigration allegations and accusing the Trump administration of pursuing Omar for political reasons, even though the probe into Omar actually began during the Biden administration.
Investigators have issued more than a dozen subpoenas in connection with the immigration inquiry, including subpoenas involving members of Omar’s family, while federal officials have not publicly disclosed all of the evidence underlying the investigation. Omar has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
Separate from the immigration case, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has confirmed that her office is investigating Omar’s financial disclosures, adding another layer of federal scrutiny around the congresswoman.
Howell’s Oversight Project had already been examining matters connected to Omar before the federal search, including a proposed $1.031 million congressional earmark for Generation Hope MN’s Justice Empowerment Initiative in Minneapolis.
The watchdog raised questions about the nonprofit’s finances, operations and eligibility for federal funding, prompting Republican lawmakers to challenge the proposed earmark. The funding was ultimately removed, and Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Joni Ernst of Iowa subsequently sought Justice Department scrutiny of the organization.
It remains to be seen whether the DOJ does indeed have “the goods” on Omar, but judging by what’s happened so far and the way it happened — a raid so close to an election — she could be looking at a deportation plane ride back to her beloved Somalia.
