Rep. Omar Sprayed at Town Hall Amid Fraud Investigations and Minnesota ICE Clash

A man shouts at Rep. Omar immediately after spraying her with a liquid at Omar's town hall in Minneapolis Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2026. Source: Video screen capture.

MINNEAPOLIS – A man rushed the podium at Representative Ilhan Omar’s town hall Wednesday, spraying an unknown substance at the Democratic congresswoman before being subdued by security. Omar, who was not injured, continued the event. President Trump, when asked to comment on the attack, said he hadn’t seen the video and added: “I think she’s a fraud.”

The incident reflects urgent polarization in American society and Omar’s own position at the center of intersecting controversies involving immigration-related fraud investigations, escalating immigration enforcement, and fundamental conflicts over sanctuary policies. Omar is not merely a rhetorical lightning rod in these debates—she is under active investigation by federal agencies and congressional committees examining her potential connections to fraud networks and the dramatic increase in her family wealth.

The context of Omar’s town hall is the Trump administration’s deployment of hundreds of federal agents to Minnesota through Operation Metro Surge, announced in late 2025 by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel. Seconds after Omar called for Noem’s impeachment, a man lunged from the front row and sprayed her before security guards tackled him to the ground.

The ICE operation targets what administration officials describe as widespread fraud and illegal immigration, following investigations that have already resulted in 78 charges and over 57 convictions, most involving individuals of Somali descent operating in Omar’s congressional district.

Patel stated the intent was to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs” and called the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme the “tip of the iceberg.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced investigations into campaign contributions from convicted fraudsters and potential links to al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in Somalia.

Omar co-hosted a January 16, 2026 congressional shadow hearing titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota,” attended by 27 lawmakers.

Two individuals—Renee Good and Alex Pretti—were killed during encounters with ICE agents in Minnesota in recent weeks. Omar has demanded data on total arrests, including how many U.S. citizens have been detained, and the estimated taxpayer cost of the operation.

This positions Omar as the leading voice for progressive immigration policy, which advocates for preventing federal withholding of funds from sanctuary cities, creating pathways to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants, ending what she terms “criminalization of immigration and crossing the border,” and protecting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. The opposing view, held by Trump and a significant portion of the electorate, maintains that illegal immigration violates sovereignty and law, that large-scale deportation is justified, and that federal resources should prioritize citizens.

The immigration enforcement clash unfolds against the backdrop of a fraud scandal of staggering proportions. Defendants allegedly claimed to serve millions of meals to children through federally funded programs while using funds for luxury vehicles, real estate purchases, and international travel.

Larger questions remain about whether Omar indirectly opened opportunities for fraudsters to profit.

Omar introduced the MEALS Act in 2020, advocating for reduced oversight requirements for child nutrition programs during COVID-19 school closures. A similar bill passed with bipartisan support. Federal prosecutors allege defendants exploited pandemic-era program changes and waivers. When asked in 2025 if she regretted her advocacy for the legislation, Omar said: “Absolutely not, it did help feed kids.”

The connections between Omar and individuals convicted in the fraud scheme are multiple and direct. Co-owner of Safari Restaurant Salim Ahmed Said was convicted in March 2025 of stealing approximately $12 million through fraudulent meal claims, according to federal court records. Safari Restaurant hosted Omar’s 2018 congressional victory party, as documented by local media reports. In May 2020, video evidence shows Omar appearing at the restaurant promoting the federal meal distribution program, stating in Somali that the restaurant was providing thousands of meals to children daily. Safari Restaurant received over $16 million through the Feeding Our Future program, according to Justice Department filings.

Guhaad Hashi Said, who worked on Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns handling voter mobilization according to local news reports, pleaded guilty in federal court in August 2025 to running a fraudulent food distribution site. Court documents show he claimed to serve 5,000 meals daily while stealing $3.2 million in federal funds. Two individuals associated with Safari Restaurant—Ahmed Ghedi and Abdihakim Ahmed—donated $5,400 to Omar’s campaign before being named in fraud-related search warrants, according to campaign finance records. Both subsequently pleaded guilty to fraud charges in federal court. Omar’s office told the Sahan Journal these donations were returned to local food shelves after the fraud became known.

Omar condemned the fraud in 2022, stating: “The alleged fraud scheme orchestrated by Feeding Our Future is reprehensible,” according to news reports. She was reportedly among the first members of Congress to request a federal investigation into the program.

Yet even as Omar condemned the fraud publicly, questions emerged about her family’s finances. Omar’s congressional financial disclosures show a dramatic increase in reported family wealth that has triggered multiple investigations. In 2022-2023, her net worth was reported as below $250,000. Omar characterized herself as “a working mom with student loan debt” who was “not a millionaire.” By 2024, her combined net worth with husband Tim Mynett was reported between $6 million and $30 million.

The increase stems primarily from two businesses owned or co-owned by Mynett, according to House financial disclosure filings. Rose Lake Capital LLC was valued between $5 million and $25 million in 2024, compared to between $1 and $1,000 in 2023. The venture capital firm’s website claims to manage $60 billion in assets and describes “deep global networks built from on-the-ground work in more than 80 countries,” but news reports indicate it operates from a WeWork office in Washington, D.C.

Between September and October 2025, the company’s website removed information about nine officers and advisors, including former Obama administration officials, according to archived website records reviewed by multiple news organizations.

The second business, eStCru LLC, a California winery, was valued between $1 million and $5 million in 2024, compared to $15,000 to $50,000 in 2023, according to the disclosures. News reports found the winery’s online purchasing portal does not function, and the business has minimal recent social media presence. A spokesman for Rose Lake Capital told news outlets that Mynett earned less than $20,000 from his business stakes in 2024, creating an apparent discrepancy between reported business valuations and actual income.

Questions around Mynett’s financial ventures are also raised by court records showing a $1.2 million judgment entered against companies he co-founded with business partner Will Hailer. According to Minnesota’s Hennepin County District Court records from October 2023, eSt Ventures LLC, Badlands Fund GP LLC, and Badlands Ventures LLC confessed to owing the debt to South Dakota cannabis industry investors after paying only $500,000 of a $1.7 million settlement agreement.

These sorts of financial questions have spawned investigations across multiple government entities. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) has stated his committee is investigating how Omar and Mynett “went from nearly broke to being worth up to $30 million in just a year.” Comer stated: “There are a lot of questions as to how her husband accumulated so much wealth over the past two years. I’m a money guy. It’s not possible.” The committee is reportedly considering subpoenas to examine disclosure filings, outside income, and business relationships.

Trump announced on Truth Social on January 26, 2026, that the Department of Justice is investigating Omar. According to press reports citing unnamed law enforcement sources, federal authorities are investigating politicians potentially connected to the Minnesota fraud schemes. One source told The New York Post: “We are investigating all politicians potentially connected to any of this [fraud] in Minnesota. You can read between the lines.”

Omar has characterized the scrutiny as a “coordinated right-wing disinformation campaign” and notes that approximately half of Congress members are millionaires. The investigations center on a critical question raised by congressional investigators: Did a potentially symbiotic relationship exist between Omar’s policy advocacy and fraud networks?

The scope of the fraud itself remains under investigation. News reports citing state and federal officials suggest total fraud across Minnesota programs could range from $1 billion to $9 billion.

Omar’s political future could depend on these investigation outcomes, amid an enforcement system already viewed as politicized by opposite poles of America’s divide. If evidence emerges connecting her or her husband’s businesses to fraud networks, her congressional career could end. If investigations find no wrongdoing, she may emerge empowered among progressive constituencies and rise in American government—while remaining a lightning rod for conservatives who view the Minnesota fraud scandal as evidence of failed Democratic governance.