A probe cleared Ilhan Omar, but it still didn't answer the $30M question
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Ilhan Omar was cleared of wrongdoing by a congressional watchdog over errors in her financial disclosures, but the decision has not ended questions surrounding the dramatic difference between two filings that reported vastly different values for her family's assets.
The Office of Congressional Conduct voted 5-1 to recommend that the House Ethics Committee dismiss allegations that Omar filed false or incomplete information.
The Minnesota Democrat's office said the decision confirmed its position that Omar had done nothing wrong.
But the National Legal and Policy Center, which filed the complaint, is now asking House Ethics to obtain underlying financial records involving businesses owned by Omar's husband, Tim Mynett.
The group argues that the dismissal recommendation did not publicly explain how assets once listed at up to $30 million were later reduced to less than $100,000.
A filing raised major questions
The controversy began with Omar's financial disclosure listing family assets in a range between $6 million and $30 million.
The figures drew attention because Omar had previously said she was not a millionaire.
Omar later filed an amended disclosure that placed the assets between roughly $18,000 and $95,000.
Her office attributed the difference to accounting errors involving businesses owned by Mynett, including a venture capital firm and winery.
Her spokeswoman said Omar was not involved in her husband's businesses and relied on the accountant handling the disclosures.
Omar's office maintained that the corrected filing accurately reflected the businesses' net value.
Watchdog recommends closing the case
The Office of Congressional Conduct investigated whether Omar had submitted false or incomplete information in violation of federal law or House rules.
According to reporting on the decision, the board found there was not substantial reason to believe Omar reported false or incomplete information and recommended dismissing the allegations.
The OCC is an independent, nonpartisan House entity that reviews misconduct allegations.
Its recommendations do not themselves determine whether a violation occurred, and the House Ethics Committee is not automatically bound to follow them.
Complainant group pushes for more records
Paul Kamenar, counsel for the National Legal and Policy Center, said the group wants House Ethics to obtain records that could further document the businesses and their finances.
The organization has argued that the public explanation surrounding the amended disclosure does not fully address the difference between the original and corrected figures.
The dispute has also drawn in House Oversight Chairman James Comer, who previously said that his committee could examine Mynett's businesses before the matter was referred to the Ethics Committee.
A House Oversight spokeswoman said the committee referred the allegations to Ethics and encouraged it to review them.
Election rules complicate next steps
The OCC recommendation came near the start of the House Ethics Committee's pre-election blackout period, which limits certain committee actions ahead of an election.
That timing means the controversy could remain unresolved publicly until after the election period, depending on whether the Ethics Committee chooses to take further action.
