Vance Says DOJ Investigating Ilhan Omar, Declines to Rule Out Indictment

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the Department of Justice is looking into Rep. Ilhan Omar, intensifying scrutiny around the Minnesota Democrat and raising new questions about whether a federal case could follow.

Vance made the remarks during a White House press briefing while temporarily filling in for press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is currently on maternity leave.

The exchange came after Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese asked about allegations involving Omar’s immigration history, along with past federal scrutiny of her finances and campaign-related activity.

“I don’t want to prejudge an investigation,” Vance said. “You read the things about Ilhan Omar, and about who she married, and whether she didn’t marry this person or that person. It certainly seems like something fishy is there. But everyone is entitled to equal justice under the laws.”

Vance then went further, saying the matter is under review.

“So we’re going to investigate it, we’re going to take a look at it,” Vance said. “If we think there’s a crime, we’re going to prosecute that crime, and that’s something that the Department of Justice is looking at right now.”

The comments appear to be the most direct public acknowledgment yet from the Trump administration that Omar is facing renewed federal scrutiny. They also bring fresh national attention to a controversy that has followed the progressive congresswoman for years, involving questions about her personal history, campaign spending, and immigration-related claims.

Omar has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has dismissed Republican allegations against her as politically motivated attacks.

The latest development follows earlier reporting from The New York Times that former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department quietly opened a probe into Omar in 2024. According to that report, federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., working with the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section, reviewed campaign expenditures, personal financial records, and alleged contacts involving a non-U.S. citizen.

Sources familiar with the matter told the Times that the investigation eventually lost momentum after agents reportedly failed to find evidence supporting additional charges or a broader prosecution.

Now, under President Donald J. Trump, the administration appears to be revisiting at least parts of that inquiry.

Vance’s remarks come as Republicans are also pressing for answers in Minnesota’s massive Feeding Our Future fraud scandal, one of the largest pandemic-era fraud cases in American history. GOP lawmakers in the state have sought to examine connections between Omar, Somali community organizations implicated in the scandal, and federal nutrition programs that expanded during COVID-19.

Earlier this month, a Republican-led Minnesota House committee narrowly failed to subpoena Omar for documents related to the Feeding Our Future investigation after Democrats blocked the effort in a tied vote.

Republican committee chair Kristin Robbins argued that Omar’s sponsorship of the federal MEALS Act in 2020 helped remove safeguards that contributed to widespread abuse in child nutrition programs during the pandemic.

Omar’s office has repeatedly declined invitations to testify before the Minnesota committee.

The controversy surrounding Omar is not new. Conservatives have long questioned details involving her marriage history and immigration timeline, although those allegations have never resulted in criminal charges.

Vance himself raised similar concerns during the 2024 campaign, suggesting that Omar may have committed immigration fraud.

The Department of Justice has not publicly confirmed a current investigation, and neither the DOJ nor Omar’s congressional office immediately responded to requests for comment after Vance’s remarks.

Still, the vice president’s comments are likely to increase political pressure on Omar as Republicans continue to highlight corruption concerns and government accountability heading into the 2026 midterm cycle.

For conservatives, the issue is not merely about one lawmaker. It is about whether politically connected officials are held to the same legal standards as ordinary Americans. After years of Democrats defending aggressive investigations into President Trump and his allies, the Trump administration now says the same principle should apply across the board.

Vance pushed back against claims that the administration is engaging in political targeting, stressing that the standard must be evidence, not party affiliation.

“Everyone is entitled to equal justice under the laws,” he said.

That message may prove central as the administration continues promising to restore public trust in institutions that many Americans believe have been politicized for too long.