Ilhan Omar dismisses Somali t*rror link to food-aid fraud, calls it an FBI ‘failure’ if true

WASHINGTON, DC: Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar addressed the potential link between alleged pandemic fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community and t****rism, saying that if such a connection exists, it represents a “failure of the FBI.”

The Treasury Department and House Republicans have launched investigations into the multi-million-dollar fraud scheme and Gov Tim Walz’s handling of the cases, amid accusations that public assistance funds may have been diverted to overseas t*rror groups.

Ilhan Omar urges transparency and prosecution in Minnesota fraud case

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar expressed confidence that the alleged link between the fraud scheme and t****rism was a false claim, noting the prosecutions and sentences already handed down in the case.

She argued, "If there was a linkage in the money that they have stolen going to t*****ism, then that is a failure of the FBI and our court system in not figuring that out."

Omar added that accusations of this nature have circulated for many years but affirmed a desire for transparency, stating, "If that is the case, if money from US tax dollars is being sent to help with terrorism in Somalia, we want to know."

She further emphasized the need for strict legal action, saying, "And we want those people prosecuted," and "And we want to make sure that that doesn't ever happen again."

Addressing her own political contributions from individuals later charged in the scheme, Omar said she had already dealt with the matter. She stated, "We obviously had people who were able to donate to our campaign that were involved," but clarified, "We sent that money back a couple of years ago, and actually, I was one of the first members of Congress to send a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture asking them to look into what I thought was a reprehensible fraud that was occurring within the program."  

Ilhan Omar says fraud hurts Somali taxpayers in Minnesota

Ilhan Omar stated that the Somali community is also negatively affected by the fraud scheme, countering any narrative that they are complicit or unconcerned.

She emphasized that Somalis are "also taxpayers in Minnesota" and noted that they "also could have benefited from the program and the money that was stolen."

She concluded by expressing community frustration, saying, "And so it's been really frustrating for people to not acknowledge the fact that we're, you know, we're also, as Minnesotans, as taxpayers, really upset and angry about the fraud that has occurred."

Scott Bessent says pandemic fraud funds tracked overseas

Meanwhile, appearing on the same program earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the government’s efforts represent “part of the continued cleanup.”

Bessent said that some of the money from the individuals charged, whom he says donated to Gov Tim Walz, Ilhan Omar, and Attorney General Keith Ellison, “has gone overseas, and we are tracking that both to the Middle East and to Somalia to see what the uses of that have been.”

The fraud charges, described as the “largest pandemic fraud in the United States,” were filed in 2022 and centered on a welfare program intended to distribute meals to children.

It is notable that the founder of the group, Feeding Our Future, was a White individual who was convicted earlier this year. However, most of the suspects charged were of Somali descent, significant given that Minnesota is home to the largest Somali-American population in the US.