United States President Donald Trump has called for Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar to resign from the US Congress, reviving allegations of identity fraud after a court filing identified the Minnesota politician by an additional name.
The DOJ filing, submitted on Wednesday, refers to Omar as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar” – “a/k/a” is an abbreviation for “also known as”.
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The document filed by the administration does not establish that Omar committed fraud.
In response to allegations that Ilhan Omar is not her real name, the lawmaker posted on X, “So let’s make it crystal clear. My name has always been Ilhan Omar”.
The controversy follows a federal investigation into Omar’s immigration history and a search of her Washington, DC, home on October 12.
Omar has said she plans to move out of the home, citing safety concerns.
Here is how it all unfolded.
October 12: Federal agents search Omar’s home
Federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, DC, residence under a “judicially authorised search warrant” as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. It reportedly concerns allegations that Omar or her late father provided false information on immigration paperwork when the family fled Somalia and came to the United States in 1995, when she was a child. Omar has denied wrongdoing and described the search as political intimidation.
October 15: Requests to unseal court records
Judicial Watch and The New York Times, alongside 14 other press organisations, filed applications in the US District Court for the District of Columbia seeking access to sealed records related to the search warrant. Judicial Watch said it wanted the warrant, supporting affidavits and an inventory of seized materials made public.
October 21: Justice Department filing identifies Omar by another name
In a motion seeking additional time to respond to the requests for records, the Justice Department referred to the congresswoman as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar”.
The filing did not explain the relationship between the names. Instead, prosecutors asked the court to delay their response until after they fully executed the search warrant. The government said it would submit a status report within 30 days of completing the search.
October 22: Name allegations become public, Trump calls for resignation
Fox News Digital cited the court filing and reported that unnamed sources said that Omar’s birth name was Ilhan Nur Said Elmi. The article prompted renewed speculation about her name and longstanding rumours concerning her 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Some have claimed he is Omar’s brother, an allegation she has repeatedly denied.
President Trump publicly escalated his attacks on Omar, calling for her resignation as the name controversy spread. He has presented the alternative name listed in the court filing as evidence of fraud, even though the filing makes no such finding and she has not been charged with any criminal offences.
October 23: Representative Omar responds
A spokesperson for Omar told Al Jazeera in a statement: “The Congresswoman’s name has always been Ilhan Omar. Any indication otherwise is flat out false”.
Omar also rejected the allegations in a post on X, accusing Trump of promoting conspiracy theories through the Justice Department.
“Whenever the news turns bad, this creep reaches for one name: mine. So let’s make it crystal clear. My name has always been Ilhan Omar,” she added, before telling Trump to focus on “what your VP’s real name is”.
Muslim American candidates face attacks over their names
In an interview with MS NOW’s Chris Hayes, Omar argued that the attacks were intended to drive her out of Congress, saying her critics believed someone of her background and faith “shouldn’t be in Congress” or hold a position influencing US law.
“I have a legal right to be a member of Congress, and I am honoured,” she said.
The scrutiny of Omar’s name comes amid a wider wave of attacks on Muslim American politicians, including Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Michigan.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Thursday, a Michigan voter questioned why El-Sayed does not use his “real name”, seemingly referring to his full name.
“Abdul’s barely out there. He doesn’t even say his real name. Like, why can’t you share your real name?” the voter said. When asked if she knew the full name of El-Sayed’s Republican opponent Mike Rogers, she said, “Mohamed’s not his middle name”.
El-Sayed, whose full name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, has faced attacks on his Arab heritage and Muslim faith during his Senate campaign. Trump has mocked his name and called him a “jihadist”. Trump also said at a rally that he could call El-Sayed “Mohammed”, adding that he could call him “whatever the hell I want”.