Omar's deleted tweet could give clue on alleged brother marriage

A deleted 2013 social media post in which Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., referred to her father by a name different from those used in official records has resurfaced while federal investigators examine her identity and immigration documents. The post, made in June 2013, addressed her father as "Nur Said" and was deleted on Sept. 19, 2019. The resurfacing followed a search of Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence on Oct. 12 by federal agents acting under a criminal investigation into possible false statements on immigration and naturalization documents.

Records, including a memorial post by the Congressional Black Caucus marking her father’s death in 2020, identify him as "Nur Omar Mohamed." The archived tweet, first reported by the Daily Caller in 2019, uses the name "Nur Said," which resembles the name of Omar’s former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Omar and her office have repeatedly denied allegations that Elmi is her brother and have characterized the federal probe as a political attack.

Somali naming conventions typically consist of a given name, the father’s given name, and the paternal grandfather’s given name. While name overlap does not prove kinship, a statement circulating online and attributed to Omar’s spokesperson described "Nur Said" as her father’s childhood nickname. The same statement claimed the congresswoman maintained a public page under that name and deleted the tweet because she and her family received threats.

Court documents related to the search warrant identify Omar as "Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a.k.a. Ilhan Abdullahi Omar." The filing does not explain why both names appear or establish that Omar used a false identity. Two people familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital that "Ilhan Nur Said Elmi" may be Omar’s legal name, a characterization her office has disputed. In an interview with Fox News Digital on Friday, Omar stated her "real name" is "Ilhan Abdullahi Omar," rejecting the alternate name.

A former Minnesota federal immigration judge noted that if investigators prove Omar knowingly used a false name on federal forms, the conduct could be questioned under the federal false-statements statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1001. The applicability of the statute depends on the specific documents involved, the materiality of any alleged misstatement, and evidence of intent. The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Omar’s marriage to Elmi ended in divorce in 2017, and she legally married Ahmed Hirsi in 2018. During an interview on MS NOW on Wednesday, when asked if her former husband might have been a distant relative, Omar replied, "Not to my knowledge." Her office did not respond to Friday requests for comment regarding the deleted post.