Omar says federal raid on her home was "designed" to "freak" her out

Rep. Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, said the federal raid on her Washington, D.C., home last week was "designed" to intimidate her, in her first interview since the search, MS NOW reported Wednesday.

Omar told MS NOW's Chris Hayes she had slept about two and a half hours after returning from travel when agents "pounding on the doors" woke her on Oct. 12. "You don't show up to somebody's house that early in the morning unless you're trying to freak them out," she said.

She said the search lasted four to five hours and involved as many as 25 agents, who "mostly conducted themselves in a decent way." Omar said she was asked to sign a document waiving constitutional protections she has as a member of Congress, and declined.

Omar said agents took 17 items listed on a receipt, including her phone, an old phone, her youngest daughter's old phone, her husband's notebooks, a camera and a Somali phrase book for children.

The Justice Department told MS NOW that Homeland Security Investigations "executed a judicially authorized search warrant" as part of "an ongoing federal criminal investigation." A source told MS NOW the warrant listed potential violations involving immigration fraud, false statements in immigration proceedings and conspiracy. CNN, citing people familiar with the probe, reported investigators are examining whether Omar or her late father made false statements about her age during the citizenship process.

Omar said she takes the matter seriously but does not believe the government has a case. "It would be a huge undertaking to, I suppose, indict a 12-year-old for being so cleverly conspiring to defraud immigration services to come to the United States," she said.

Asked whether President Trump has anything to do with the investigation, Omar said: "He's got everything to do with it." She said she and her family will have to move because her address is now public.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Omar will move out of the home, saying the attention brought on by the search has made her feel unsafe there. The AP, citing a person briefed on the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it, reported that federal authorities are investigating potential fraud in her family's immigration paperwork and have issued grand jury subpoenas to some of her relatives. The Justice Department has shared few details beyond saying it is a criminal investigation. Omar told MS NOW she is "confident in the fact that I didn't do anything wrong." The AP also reported that congressional Democrats sharply condemned the search and questioned its timing.