The high-profile legal team representing embattled “Squad” Rep. Ilhan Omar includes the former personal attorney of President Biden and the prominent lawyer who helped lead House Democrats’ cases during both of President Trump’s impeachments.
Omar, who was born in Somalia, is being represented by two attorneys with strong liberal credentials. However, neither is known primarily for immigration law — prompting questions about whether the defense is focused more on allegations involving her husband’s purported $30 million financial windfall than on her own immigration history.
Amy Jeffress, a partner at Washington, DC, boutique firm Hecker Fink, became Biden’s personal lawyer in 2025, taking over from longtime adviser Bob Bauer.
Jeffress represented the former president as he confronted scrutiny over his use of an autopen to approve presidential pardons and sign legislation.
Before joining Hecker Fink, she worked at the Washington firm Arnold & Porter, where she took part in several of the most contentious political and congressional legal battles of recent years.
Her work has included serving as outside counsel to the House Jan. 6 committee, which used congressional subpoena powers to compel testimony and records. She also previously represented former FBI attorney Lisa Page, one of the officials whose anti-Trump text messages during the 2016 presidential campaign fueled allegations of political bias within the bureau and preceded Page’s resignation.
The other member of Omar’s defense team is Joshua Matz, another Hecker Fink partner. Matz represented House Democrats during both of Trump’s impeachment proceedings and was also part of the House Jan. 6 committee’s legal team.
Matz has additionally represented Brown University, New York University and Columbia University in lawsuits challenging Trump administration executive orders aimed at affirmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Interior Designer Who Mended Hairy Biker Si King’s ‘Lost’ Heart
The US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC, is now investigating questions surrounding Omar’s immigration history and changes to her financial disclosure filings. The inquiry comes amid longstanding congressional scrutiny of the Minnesota Democrat, with questions about her finances continuing even after she amended her most recent disclosures.
In an interview with MS NOW, Omar said she lives “paycheck to paycheck” despite earning a $174,000 congressional salary. She also said federal agents prevented her from contacting her attorney for roughly an hour after searching her home earlier this month.
Documents tied to the search of Omar’s Washington home mention a former alias, Nur Said Elmi. That reference has intensified attention on investigators’ interest in her immigration background, including allegations first published on a Somali blog claiming that her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, was her brother. Those allegations have not been established as fact.
This week, Omar appeared in a video recorded inside a moving car and appealed to supporters for money to cover her legal expenses.
“It is going to be a very expensive and challenging time and so we appreciate whether you’re able to send $5, $10, $20,” she said in the video posted Tuesday night.
A review of Omar’s campaign finance filings by The Post found no payments directly to Jeffress, Matz or their law firm as of the Oct. 15 reporting deadline.
Last Friday, Jeffress and Matz sent the Justice Department a seven-page letter demanding the return of Omar’s passport, electronic devices and other property seized during the search.
Trump, meanwhile, has signaled that he plans to continue targeting Omar, as he has done with some of Jeffress’ former clients.
On Thursday night, he called for Omar to “IMMEDIATELY” resign, claiming she had taken her congressional oath under a name different from her own.
