Trump Says Ilhan Omar Could Go to Jail or Be Deported, Calls Her 'a Disgrace to Our Country'
US President Donald Trump has said Congresswoman Ilhan Omar could go to jail or be deported. Speaking at an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday, in response to questions surrounding her age, he called the Minnesota Democrat 'a disgrace to our country'.
During his fraud incentive programme announcement, Fox Business correspondent Edward Lawrence asked Trump whether a problem with Omar's age could lead to her deportation. Trump replied, 'Well, she could be. She could also go to jail. You know, they keep talking about deportation. No, she could go to jail.'
The president, however, did not identify a specific criminal charge or present new evidence against Omar during the exchange. 'This is just my opinion,' he added, before calling the congresswoman 'a very dishonest person' who 'hates our country'.
Behind the remarks lies an ongoing federal investigation into allegations involving Omar's citizenship. Federal agents searched her Washington, DC home on October 12, seizing her cellphone and other possessions.
The investigation centres on allegations that Omar or her father misrepresented her birth year on immigration paperwork. The disputed timeline concerns whether she was a minor when her father became a US citizen in 2000 and qualified for citizenship through him, or was already 18 and needed to apply separately.
Earlier, White House border czar Tom Homan said Omar could lose her citizenship and be deported if investigators prove immigration fraud. Speaking Saturday on 'The Big Weekend Show', Homan said that if someone lies during the naturalization process, there is a process to denaturalize them, it has been done before, and if the evidence points that way, it could happen.
Homan also said Omar would be held to the same standards as anyone else. He declined to discuss the specifics of investigators' findings but said he had been told they have a strong case, and that the evidence would be allowed to lead where it leads.
Omar has denied wrongdoing. Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have denounced the investigation as political persecution targeting a prominent Trump critic ahead of the midterm elections. Former president Barack Obama has also backed Omar, accusing the Trump administration of 'appalling' targeting.
In Tuesday's remarks, Trump also attacked Omar's criticism of the United States. He questioned why, after coming from Somalia, she sought to tell Americans how to run the country. 'Then she comes over here, and she says that she wants to tell us how to run America,' he said. 'She wants to tell us how to run the United States of America.'
Trump also criticised her assertions of constitutional rights and called her election to Congress 'amazing'. He ended the exchange by saying he hoped Omar would receive fair treatment.
Omar's office has been contacted for comment. The matter now sits at the front of both the investigation and the political debate.
The outcome of the investigation will determine where this dispute goes next. But it is already clear that the Trump-Omar clash will remain one of the most talked-about subjects in US politics ahead of the midterm elections.
