Former US President Barack Obama has accused Donald Trump’s administration of politically targeting Congresswoman Ilhan Omar through a federal investigation into her immigration records.

Former US President Barack Obama has accused President Donald Trump of targeting Ilhan Omar, a Democratic congresswoman, because of her political views.

In a lengthy post on X on Sunday, Obama said the federal investigation into Omar, who represents Minnesota in the US House of Representatives, violated a basic principle of American democracy.

“It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say,” Obama wrote. “But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.”

What Obama Said

“To understand why this is so appalling, it’s important to know the facts,” Obama said. “The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president.”

He said Omar arrived in the United States with her father when she was 12 and became a naturalised citizen after her father obtained US citizenship when she was 17. Obama said the administration was seeking to deport Omar based on an unsubstantiated allegation that she was 18 when her father became a citizen and should therefore have applied for citizenship separately.

He also criticised the search of her home, in which federal agents seized her phone and personal records, describing it as an effort “to uncover a nonexistent smoking gun from 20 years ago that will somehow make their case.”

Obama said the case was part of a broader pattern of the administration using federal agencies against people it regards as political opponents. He pointed to actions involving the New York attorney general, a former FBI director and members of the Federal Reserve, and said similar cases had stalled or been dismissed. He predicted the Omar investigation would meet the same fate.

He warned that targeting political opponents could set a “dangerous precedent” that future administrations might also exploit. He said the case could distract Omar from her legislative duties and force her to pay legal costs over allegations he considers baseless.

“The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views,” Obama said.

The Investigation

On Monday, October 12, federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, DC, home as part of a criminal investigation into possible fraud involving her immigration and naturalisation records. Authorities also seized her phone and passport and issued subpoenas to some of her relatives.

The inquiry centres on whether Omar or members of her family gave false information during their immigration process decades ago. Records indicate Omar became a citizen in 2000 through her father’s naturalisation, when she was 17. Omar has rejected the allegations and called the search politically motivated. She has said she “will not be silenced.”

Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, said last week that her office was investigating possible improprieties related to Omar’s financial disclosures. The search warrant, however, listed potential violations related to immigration rather than finances, according to MS NOW. The coverage reviewed did not report any charges against Omar.

White House Response and Democratic Reaction

The White House rejected Obama’s claim. “Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump has not weaponized the Department of Justice against his political foes,” spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. “The Department is focused on restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe.”

House Democratic leaders have also defended Omar, calling the search “deeply disturbing” and saying it raises serious questions about what they called the weaponisation of the federal government against Trump’s adversaries. Trump has repeatedly attacked Omar, a Somali-born American politician, over her background and political positions, and Omar is one of his sharpest critics in Congress.

Obama’s statement, more than 400 words long, was described by Axios as a rare and forceful intervention from a former president who is selective about commenting on Trump.