Jeanine Pirro Makes Huge Announcement - White House In Shock
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro defended the federal investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar during a Fox News interview with Jesse Watters, saying investigators have questions about her immigration history while declining to reveal what prompted their inquiry.
Watters opened by asking whether “Ilhan Omar” was the congresswoman’s real name. Pirro replied, “Her real name is Ilhan Nora Said Elmi. You had it absolutely right. Her sister is Sara Nur Said Elmi, and her sister actually wrote a book and talked about the fact that Ilhan is her sister,” according to the interview carried by Fox News.
When Watters asked whether the name’s similarity to her former husband’s pointed investigators toward something, Pirro declined to discuss the basis of the probe.
“Well, obviously, Jesse, I’m not going to tell you what’s tipping us off, but what I can tell you is this. There are a lot of questions that we have,” she said.
Pirro said citizenship applications depend on accurate information and that applicants have an obligation to provide it. She framed the investigation as part of her office’s responsibility to pursue public corruption, regardless of party.
Asked whether Omar was “living and working in Congress under an alias,” Pirro did not confirm that characterization. “Well, you know, you’ll have to ask her what she considers her name,” she said, adding that investigators are examining whether she followed the law “as it relates to the use of these names.”
A court motion filed by Pirro identifies the congresswoman as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar,” Fox News reported. Omar’s office disputed the claim that Ilhan Omar is not her real name, saying the report was false. The filing’s wording does not by itself establish that she used a false identity.
The exchange also turned to DNA. Watters asked whether the government had Omar’s DNA. Pirro answered, “I’m not going to answer that, Jesse. You know I’m not,” then said investigators can obtain DNA in multiple ways without taking a cheek swab at someone’s home. She did not confirm whether the government had collected Omar’s DNA.
Omar’s answer to a separate question about her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, has also drawn attention. During her Wednesday interview with MS NOW host Chris Hayes, she called the allegation that Elmi was her brother “insane.” When Hayes asked whether there was a “weird kernel of truth” to the claim, she replied, “Not to my knowledge.”
Omar has denied immigration fraud and the allegation that she married her brother. No public evidence has established that Elmi is her brother, and Omar has not been charged with a crime. The federal inquiry remains ongoing.