Water, Vinegar, and Suspicious Millions: Questions Surround Ilhan Omar
When they sprayed water on someone suspected of fraud, I said nothing, because I was not suspected of fraud…
Liberal accounts on social media are praising Rep. Ilhan Omar’s courage for raising her fist at her attacker after being squirted with a small amount of water. Mainstream media are quick to point out that the syringe did not contain only water but also apple cider vinegar, a non-irritant which, if it hits your face, can cause temporary blindness and a sour taste in your mouth. It is also known to remove stains from clothing.
Unlike President Trump, who missed one day of work after being shot, the courageous Ilhan Omar returned to the podium and defiantly continued her diatribe on why federal law enforcement should be discontinued. Where others might have been concerned that there was a chemical or biological weapon in the syringe, Omar pressed on, almost as if she knew she had been doused with salad dressing.
While recovering from the traumatic ordeal that left droplets of moisture on her blouse, Omar is reportedly under Justice Department investigation over questions surrounding her finances and the rapid growth of her personal wealth since entering Congress.
Critics point to financial disclosures showing her family’s assets grew from a reported negative net worth when she entered Congress in 2019 to 2024 estimates ranging between $6 million and $30 million.
President Trump has been criticized for claiming Omar went from having “NOTHING” in Somalia to being worth over $44 million. He has been attacked by the media, which claim the $44 million figure is an exaggeration, but whether the figure is $30 million or $44 million, it is reasonable to ask how she arrived at such a large sum in just a few years while earning about $175,000 per year.
Based on her own filings, the value of her husband’s stake in Rose Lake Capital jumped from a maximum of $1,000 to a minimum of $5 million in a single year. Despite signing these forms under penalty of perjury, Omar told Business Insider in February 2025 that the claim she is worth millions is “categorically false.” She went on to say that she is “barely worth thousands” and owns neither a house nor stocks. As a result, it appears that in some interviews she has suggested her net worth is less than $1 million, while in others she has attributed the growth in her net worth to prudent investment.
Forensic accountants and the House Oversight Committee are now looking for the “why.” They are investigating whether the 2024 valuation was a typo, a massive success for her husband’s firm, or related to broader federal investigations into billion-dollar fraud within Minnesota state assistance programs and Somali-linked charities, such as the “Feeding Our Future” fraud scandal.
Omar responded by accusing Trump of using conspiracy theories about her to distract from declining political support and policy failures, saying previous investigations found no wrongdoing while calling for federal immigration agents to leave Minneapolis and urging the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Whether anyone will heed Omar’s calls to end immigration enforcement operations or remove Secretary Noem remains to be seen. However, the investigation into Omar’s finances continues. On Kalshi, a CFTC-regulated prediction market where users trade on real-world outcomes, the odds as of January 30 placed a 49 percent probability on Ilhan Omar being charged with a federal crime this year.
While Omar and her supporters claim the DOJ is being weaponized against her, they fail to recognize that the government is also attempting to assist her by getting to the bottom of the vicious attack she barely survived.
The FBI has assumed control of the investigation into the attack during a town hall event in Minneapolis, according to confirmation from both local police and federal authorities. Minneapolis police charged the suspect, identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, with third-degree assault.
Democrats are blaming President Trump for the attack, saying his rhetoric enables political violence, which is ironic given the widespread violence against ICE agents and Republicans in general, fueled by Democratic lawmakers framing them as Nazis and the Gestapo. They are also criticizing Trump for stating publicly that he believed the attack was a hoax. Media have even linked the incident to negative sentiment caused by investigations into Somali-linked fraud.
Ostensibly, Democrats believe that ICE enforcement should be halted and fraud investigations into Omar and the broader Somali community should be terminated, or these types of spritzing attacks will become commonplace.
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