Former President Barack Obama defended Rep. Ilhan Omar after federal agents searched her home in a citizenship fraud probe, calling the Trump administration’s actions appalling political targeting of a critic.
Obama posted on X on Sunday to back the Minnesota Democrat as investigators examined her immigration status. Federal agents had searched her Washington, D.C., home as part of a criminal investigation into whether she or her father committed fraud on paperwork when she became a U.S. citizen decades ago.
Fox News reported the former president framed the probe as an attempt to strip Omar of citizenship and deport her over her criticism of President Donald Trump.
Obama wrote that the government cannot selectively target people for their political beliefs or speech. He said that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing to the congresswoman.
“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 stated.
“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 dared to criticize the president.
Obama said Omar arrived in the United States with her father at age 12 and automatically became a citizen at 17 when her father was naturalized. He claimed investigators are pursuing an unsubstantiated theory that she was actually 18 at the time, which would have required a separate application.
“To understand why this is so appalling, it’s important to know the facts,” Obama wrote. He argued any administration willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of their views on Omar.
The former president has stayed visible in Democratic circles, including when Obama tells Democrats about tight Senate races that could still shift.
He warned that if this becomes the new normal, there is no reason to believe it will stop with her or that future presidents of either party will not do the same. Obama also pointed to federal actions involving New York’s attorney general, a former FBI director, and members of the Federal Reserve as further examples of repeated targeting.
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis pushed back hard. She told reporters the Justice Department under Trump has not been turned against political foes.
“Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump has not weaponized the Department of Justice against his political foes,” Bis said. “The Department is focused on restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe.”
President Trump separately addressed the matter. He said he has always found Omar totally crooked personally, but insisted that has nothing to do with him. He previously told reporters the investigation was up to the Justice Department.
“I've always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me.”
Obama’s media work continues through projects like the one recognized when Obamas’ Higher Ground took a social impact award.
Sources previously told Fox News Digital that investigators are examining whether fraud occurred on the immigration documents tied to Omar’s citizenship. The search of her D.C. home formed part of that criminal inquiry into her status. No arrests or charges were detailed in the reporting.
Omar, a Somali-born progressive lawmaker representing Minnesota, has denied the allegations according to the report’s framing. The probe reaches back to events from decades ago rather than recent conduct.
Obama’s foundation operations have drawn separate attention, including reports on how the Obama Foundation lists large numbers of six-figure salaries.
The former president cast the entire effort as selective punishment for speech. The White House cast it as ordinary enforcement aimed at the law and public safety. Trump kept distance, leaving the decision with the Justice Department.
During past cycles Obama often hit the trail while others stayed quieter, a pattern noted when Obama and Harris hit the campaign trail.
Federal agents executing a search warrant on an elected official’s home over citizenship paperwork is serious business. Voters expect the same rules to apply whether the name on the file belongs to a private citizen or a member of Congress.
Accountability on immigration fraud does not become illegitimate the moment a progressive critic of the president becomes the subject.
