A former Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker has publicly criticized Representative Ilhan Omar over an unsubstantiated allegation that she married her brother, urging Democrats not to defend the congresswoman reflexively while a federal immigration investigation remains underway.
Joe Radinovich, a former Democratic-Farmer-Labor state representative with deep connections to Minnesota politics, made the comments in a series of posts on X Thursday.
“Democrats should understand that the allegation is almost certainly true—whatever conclusion they draw from that point could vary—and her denials calling it a right-wing, Islamophobic or racist conspiracy are almost certainly not,” Radinovich wrote, presenting his view without citing publicly established evidence.
Radinovich also urged Democrats to exercise caution when defending Omar against separate questions about her finances, saying her explanations had not fully resolved the concerns raised by critics.
“I’d be very, very careful,” he wrote. “Any objective look at the evidence doesn’t look… great.”
Omar has denied the allegations made by President Donald Trump and the Justice Department, which is overseeing the immigration inquiry.
John Nagel, the Republican challenging Omar in November, has continued to call for her to release immigration records and take a DNA test, saying those steps would address the long-running rumors.
During a Fox News interview Thursday, Nagel argued that Omar could put the controversy to rest by providing the relevant documents.
“It would be very simple if you are innocent to be able to come up with the paperwork, do the DNA sample,” Nagel said.
Joe Radinovich, a former Democratic-Farmer-Labor state representative with close ties to Minnesota’s political establishment, alleged in a series of Thursday posts on X that Representative Ilhan Omar married her brother, a claim Omar has repeatedly denied
John Nagel, the Republican challenging Omar in November, is calling on her to release immigration records and take a DNA test to address the allegations
Omar has denied wrongdoing and accused the federal investigation of being an effort to weaponize law enforcement against a political opponent
“The people that voted for you have a right to know if they can trust you,” he added.
Nagel’s remarks came as Omar faced renewed scrutiny after Homeland Security Investigations agents searched her Washington, D.C., home on October 12.
The search was carried out under a federal warrant as part of an inquiry into immigration paperwork dating to the period when Omar and her family arrived in the United States from Somalia during the 1990s.
Omar was a teenager when she came to the United States and became an American citizen in 2000.
The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to keep the search-warrant application and supporting affidavit sealed, arguing that disclosure could jeopardize the ongoing investigation.
Prosecutors have said investigators are still reviewing evidence collected during the search and have not determined whether charges will be filed or who, if anyone, could face them.
Omar has denied wrongdoing and described the investigation as an attempt to use federal law enforcement against a political adversary.
No criminal charges have been announced against Omar.
The investigation has also brought renewed attention to longstanding allegations involving Omar’s marriage to her former husband, Ahmed Elmi. Trump has claimed Elmi is Omar’s brother, an allegation she has repeatedly rejected.
Nagel, a retired Minnesota State Trooper who spent three decades in law enforcement, has made fraud and public safety key themes of his campaign.
His calls for answers are not new.
On October 12, the day federal agents searched Omar’s Washington residence, Nagel released a statement demanding answers and accountability.
“There have been unanswered discrepancies in that record for years,” Nagel said at the time. He argued that Minnesotans deserved a representative focused on serving constituents rather than responding to unresolved questions about her personal record.
Nagel returned to the issue on October 22, when he issued another statement calling on Omar to address questions about her legal identity, immigration history and the individuals named in the federal investigation.
He has also attacked Democratic leaders over fraud scandals in Minnesota and recently called for a dedicated task force to address gang violence in the Minneapolis area.
In his Fox interview, Nagel said Omar was entitled to due process but maintained that she should do more to answer questions about her immigration history.
Still, major election forecasters continue to view Omar’s district as firmly Democratic.
The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections both rate Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District as Solid Democratic, while Decision Desk HQ lists the race as Safe Democratic.
The Hill’s polling analysis gives Omar a 99 percent chance of winning another term.
Omar also holds a significant fundraising advantage over Nagel.
Federal Election Commission data show that Omar had raised approximately $8.2 million for the election cycle by October 14, compared with roughly $1.1 million raised by Nagel.
