Former prosecutors question timing of Omar search

Former federal prosecutors told the Star Tribune that the October 12 search of Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar's Washington, D.C., home appeared to depart from longstanding Justice Department practices before an election. B. Todd Jones, a former U.S. attorney for Minnesota, questioned both the timing and the use of Homeland Security Investigations rather than the FBI. The newspaper describes an informal practice of avoiding overt investigative steps close to elections when delay would not jeopardize a case. A Justice Department spokesperson said officers acted under a judicially authorized search warrant. Details of the investigation remain unclear.