Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar has hired a former personal lawyer for Joe Biden as she works to respond to an expanding federal inquiry into her finances and immigration background.
The Minnesota lawmaker has built a high-profile defense team that includes two Washington attorneys known for taking on legal battles involving President Donald Trump.
The investigation is examining allegations tied to Omar’s history and questions surrounding the reported $30 million fortune linked to her husband.
One of her new attorneys is Amy Jeffress, who represented Biden during scrutiny of his administration’s use of an autopen to approve presidential documents.
She will work alongside Joshua Matz, a prominent Washington lawyer who assisted House Democrats during both of Trump’s impeachment proceedings.
Jeffress and Matz are partners at Hecker Fink, a Washington-based firm. Their combined experience in politically sensitive investigations gives Omar a formidable legal team as she confronts a major controversy during her congressional career.
The attorneys’ involvement became public days after Omar, 44, released a fundraising video recorded inside a moving vehicle and cautioned supporters that defending herself would require significant financial resources.
Ilhan Omar has hired two prominent Washington attorneys as federal investigators examine questions involving her finances and immigration history
Amy Jeffress, left, previously served as Joe Biden’s personal attorney, while Joshua Matz, right, represented House Democrats during both of Donald Trump’s impeachment proceedings. The pair are now defending Ilhan Omar amid scrutiny of her finances and immigration history
“It is going to be a very expensive and challenging time, and so we appreciate whether you’re able to send $5, $10, $20,” Omar said in the appeal Tuesday night.
The fundraising request has drawn attention because Omar earns a congressional salary of $174,000, while recent disclosures suggest that assets connected to her husband, political consultant Tim Mynett, may be valued at tens of millions of dollars.
Still, Omar told MS NOW that she lives “paycheck to paycheck.”
According to the New York Post, campaign finance filings submitted through October 15 did not show payments made directly to Jeffress, Matz or Hecker Fink.
Jeffress assumed the role of Biden’s personal attorney in 2025, succeeding his longtime legal adviser Bob Bauer.
In that position, she represented Biden while federal officials examined the administration’s use of an autopen on pardons and other official presidential paperwork.
Before joining Hecker Fink, Jeffress was an attorney at the Washington firm Arnold & Porter, where she worked on several high-profile congressional investigations with significant political implications.
She also acted as outside counsel to the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, helping lawmakers seek testimony and records through subpoenas.
Matz, Omar’s other attorney, has likewise built a career around prominent legal confrontations involving Trump and his political allies.
Homeland Security Investigations officers search Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home in Washington, DC, on October 12 as part of an ongoing criminal investigation
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Homeland Security officers leave the Washington residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., after conducting a search on Monday, October 12
He represented House Democrats during both impeachment proceedings against the president and also worked with the January 6 committee.
His other clients have included Brown University, New York University and Columbia University, institutions that have faced legal confrontations with the Trump administration.
Neither attorney primarily specializes in immigration law, according to the Post, although their experience in congressional investigations and high-stakes constitutional disputes could prove valuable to Omar.
Their recruitment comes as federal prosecutors in Washington examine questions involving the congresswoman’s immigration background and financial disclosures.
Particular attention has focused on Omar’s marriage history, including longstanding, unproven allegations that her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, was actually her brother.
The accusation, which originated years ago on a Somali-language blog, has repeatedly been denied by Omar. No court has established that she married a sibling or committed immigration fraud.
Investigators have also reportedly examined her financial filings, which have undergone revisions amid congressional scrutiny of her husband’s business interests.
Omar broke her silence in a wide-ranging interview with MS NOW this week addressing explosive allegations about her former marriage, the federal raid on her home and what she claims is a politically motivated campaign by the Trump administration
Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009. They divorced in 2017. She has denied claims he is her brother
Omar’s husband, political consultant Tim Mynett, has also faced scrutiny over his business finances after congressional disclosures initially suggested his company interests were worth millions, a valuation Omar says was subsequently revised sharply downward
President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Ilhan Omar of immigration fraud and suggested she could face jail time
Questions surrounding Mynett’s reported wealth have intensified after disclosures suggested that businesses linked to him could be valued at up to $30 million.
Omar’s legal difficulties escalated earlier this month when federal agents searched her Washington, DC, residence and seized personal property.
The congresswoman subsequently complained that she was prevented from contacting her attorney for around an hour following the search.
Court documents associated with the operation reportedly referenced the name Nur Said Elmi, adding to speculation about investigators’ interest in her immigration records.
On Friday, Jeffress and Matz sent a seven-page letter to the Department of Justice demanding the return of Omar’s passport, electronic devices and other property taken during the search.
Trump, meanwhile, has shown little inclination to ease the pressure on one of his fiercest Democratic critics.
On Saturday night, the president publicly demanded that Omar ‘immediately’ resign from Congress, alleging that she had been sworn into office under a name other than her own.
