Former President Barack Obama’s defense of Rep. Ilhan Omar drew a pointed response from Jeremy Carl as the Trump administration investigates the Minnesota Democrat’s citizenship. Obama accused federal officials of pursuing a political opponent because she criticized President Donald Trump. Carl rejected that argument, saying the former president’s response suggested investigators were pursuing the right target. The dispute follows a federal search of Omar’s Washington, D.C., home.
Obama issued his statement on X on Sunday, October 18th, describing the investigation as a threat to democratic principles. His post addressed efforts to examine how Omar obtained citizenship after arriving in the United States as a child. He argued that Americans should oppose politically motivated investigations regardless of whether they support the congresswoman’s positions. Omar’s office has separately denied wrongdoing and accused the administration of using federal law enforcement against political enemies.
Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s home on October 12th. The Justice Department confirmed that agents executed a judicially authorized warrant as part of a criminal investigation, according to The Associated Press. The search came during the final weeks of Omar’s reelection campaign. Administration officials had previously indicated that federal authorities were examining allegations involving the congresswoman, whose citizenship history has become a focus of the inquiry.
In his statement, Obama described the government’s conduct as “appalling.” He defended the account that Omar arrived at age 12 and automatically obtained citizenship at 17 when her father became a citizen. Investigators are examining whether she was older than her immigration paperwork indicated, which could have affected her eligibility to obtain citizenship through her father. Obama characterized that allegation as unsubstantiated.
Obama also placed the Omar investigation alongside other federal actions against people associated with opposition to Trump. His statement cited proceedings involving New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey and Federal Reserve officials. He argued that the administration was using federal authority to intimidate its perceived enemies. His appeal called on Americans outside Omar’s political constituency to object to the investigation.
Carl, who served as a deputy assistant secretary of the Interior during Trump’s first administration, responded to Obama’s intervention in his own X post. He is a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, where his work focuses on immigration, multiculturalism and nationalism in America. Before joining Claremont, Carl worked as a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, where his research included immigration reform. Addressing Obama’s defense of Omar, he wrote, “The fact that Obama is freaking out to this extent about Omar is a sure sign that we’re directly over the target.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that officials were working to build a case that could lead to Omar losing her citizenship and being deported. Its account described investigators examining family immigration paperwork and issuing subpoenas, including to relatives. Omar’s office maintained in an October 12th statement: “The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong.”
"*" indicates required fields
White House border czar Tom Homan also addressed the possibility of denaturalization during a Saturday appearance on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show.” He said investigators would determine whether the evidence supported further action and indicated that citizenship obtained through fraud could be revoked. Asked about the potential outcome, Homan said: “And certainly, if the evidence points that way, that could happen.”