The growing Somali fraud scandal that plagues Minnesota does not just fall on the shoulders of state officials like Gov. Tim Walz, who provided hundreds of millions of dollars in funds to programs described as “grifts.” It also falls on the shoulders of the congresswoman who represents the district where the fraud exists, US Rep. Ilhan Omar. 

Somali herself, Omar, who immigrated to the US when she was 12, was first elected to the Minnesota State House in 2017, and then to Congress representing the 5th District in 2019.

The 5th District has one of the largest concentrations of Somali Americans. But despite her national affinities, Omar’s responsibility as a member of Congress belongs to all of the district’s residents, especially to the non-Somali taxpayers whose tax dollars have been stolen by scammers. 

That does not seem to be the case.

Last year, President Donald Trump ordered an investigation of the long-made allegations that many programs that relied on federal funding, such as child care and food programs for seniors and the poor, were being ripped off, including by Somali business people.

Instead of investigating the multiple fraud allegations, Omar chose to join in weaponizing the allegations in a political battle against Trump, accusing him of bigotry. 

But Trump did not launch the original Somali fraud investigations. These were launched by his predecessor, Joe Biden, who opened the first investigation in June 2024, focusing on her finances, campaign spending, and interactions with controversial foreign citizens.

Trump expanded the probes, and Omar, Walz, and other state........

© Eurasia Review