Nancy claims she was 'blocked' from subpoenaing Ilhan Omar, calls for a foreign officeholder ban

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Nancy Mace escalated her attacks on foreign-born elected officials Saturday, May 23, claiming she was previously prevented from subpoenaing immigration-related records connected to Rep Ilhan Omar while defending her controversial proposal to bar naturalized citizens from serving in Congress.

The South Carolina Republican made the remarks during an interview with Fox News focused on her push to restrict federal officeholding to natural-born Americans.

Mace blocked Omar's subpoenas

The sharpest moment came when Mace was asked whether her proposal should apply retroactively to lawmakers already serving in Congress.

“Well, I’ve tried to throw Ilhan Omar out of Congress and have been blocked every time,” Mace said.

She then claimed she had unsuccessfully attempted to obtain records tied to Omar’s immigration history.

“In fact, I tried to subpoena her and her alleged brother husband’s immigration records and was stopped from doing that, too,” Mace stated.

The congresswoman did not provide evidence during the interview to support the allegation, which references a long-circulating and unproven conspiracy theory surrounding Omar’s marriage history.

Still, Mace suggested she would support applying the proposed restrictions to current lawmakers if legally possible.

“I would be fine if we made it retroactive,” she said. “But at least going forward, if this thing can happen, then for the next election cycle or reelection cycle, it would apply to those individuals who should not be serving in Congress.”

Mace backs natural-born rule

Mace framed the issue as one of loyalty and national identity, arguing that individuals born outside the United States may carry competing allegiances.

“We don’t have to look any further than Ilhan Omar or Shri,” Mace said, referring to Rep Shri Thanedar.

“These are people who’ve pledged allegiance to foreign countries,” she continued. “They are influenced, I believe, by their foreign allegiance to other countries.”

Mace argued that the same constitutional standards applied to the presidency should extend to Congress and the judiciary.

“And we want to make sure that America is run by American patriots,” she said. “If the president has to be natural born, so too should members of Congress. So too should our judges.”

The Republican lawmaker also expanded the argument beyond federal offices, calling for states to adopt similar restrictions.

“Every single state across the country should ban foreigners or foreign-born individuals from being governor, from being lieutenant governor, from serving in state legislatures,” she declared.