Trump says Ilhan Omar could ‘go to jail,’ calls Somalia a ‘sh**house’ in heated Oval Office exchange

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump lashed out at reporters for asking tough questions in the Oval Office, claiming that Rep Ilhan Omar could face jail or deportation over alleged immigration-related issues and calling Somalia a “real sh**house.” The president also defended his new fraud whistleblower program, saying Americans could earn millions of dollars for exposing criminals.

Omar has been investigated for her immigration history and failure to report her income. At the same time, questions about her finances have been raised by Trump himself, and his administration is reported to have launched new investigations into her tax returns. During the discussion, the president did not provide any evidence that Omar had committed a crime.

Trump clashes with reporters over questions about Omar

“Well, she could be. She could also go to jail,” Trump said when asked about the possibility of deportation. “I mean, she could also go to jail.”

“I think she’s a sick, a very dishonest person, but who hates our country,” he said. “And she comes from a country that is essentially not even a country, Somalia. It’s a real shithouse.”

The president kept cutting off reporters in the Oval Office, ordering one to “be careful” and suggesting another had something “wrong” with them.

“I don’t know who the hell you are, but you better be careful,” Trump told a reporter as journalists attempted to ask questions.

At another point, Trump asked a journalist, “Are you a sick person?” When the reporter replied, “Not that I know of, sir,” Trump continued to criticize the questioner.

It was all during a tense exchange that began when a reporter asked the president if there were any concerns that Omar’s age could result in deportation. 

The comments come as Omar faces calls to resign over allegations that she hid assets and debts from a private equity firm, and questions are being raised about her immigration status. Still, Trump’s comments did not prove that Omar had committed a crime, and no one was convicted of a crime at the hearing.

Trump also accused Democrats of committing fraud by opening day-care centers in Minnesota and siphoning off hundreds of thousands of dollars from the government. 

The fraud accusations were not supported by evidence, and Trump made the comments during his daily press conference rather than confronting Minnesota officials directly.

Probe into Ilhan Omar grows

Trump’s comments come after border czar Tom Homan said Omar could lose her citizenship and be deported if investigators prove immigration fraud. Federal agents searched her Washington, DC, home on October 12, seizing her cellphone and other possessions.

The investigation centers on allegations that Omar or her father misrepresented her birth year on immigration paperwork.

The disputed timeline concerns whether she was a minor when her father became a US citizen in 2000 and qualified for citizenship through him, or was already 18 and needed to apply separately.

“Of course, if you lie during the naturalization process, there is a process to denaturalize somebody. We’ve done it before,” Homan said. “And certainly, if the evidence points that way, that could happen.”

During Tuesday’s exchange, Trump also attacked Omar’s criticism of the United States, questioning why she sought to tell Americans how to run the country after coming from Somalia.

“Then she comes over here, and she says that she wants to tell us how to run America,” Trump said. “She wants to tell us how to run the United States of America.”

“She’s a disgrace to our country,” Trump said.