4 minPolitics
Omar Says She Lives Paycheck to Paycheck as DOJ Reviews Her Financial Disclosures
Rep. Ilhan Omar described herself as working class and said she lives paycheck to paycheck, even as a separate Justice Department review examines her amended financial disclosures and her husband's business holdings.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she lives «paycheck to paycheck» and described her household as working class, remarks that come as a Justice Department review examines her financial disclosures and as she faces continued scrutiny over her husband's business holdings.
In an interview with MS NOW host Chris Hayes, Omar said her family of six lives «a basic life» and noted that she drives a 2016 Toyota Camry. Her comments drew attention because rank-and-file House members earn an annual salary of $174,000, and because her past disclosure filings once listed assets tied to her husband as being worth as much as $30 million.
The interview was Omar's first public appearance since Homeland Security Investigations agents searched her Washington, D.C., residence on Oct. 12 as part of an investigation into possible immigration-related offenses. Omar said the agents were «intrusive, but polite» and left the house in good condition, even folding some of her clothing. She said the search lasted four to five hours and that agents left with 17 items, including notebooks, old phones and a children's Somali-language phrasebook.
Since the raid, Omar has cited the investigation in fundraising appeals. In a video posted to social media, she said the support «goes a long way as we fight Trump and his administration for trying to intimidate me and so many people right before the midterm elections.» The Democratic National Committee has also sent a fundraising email built around her campaign's request for money, describing the search as «a drastic escalation of the ludicrous, partisan investigation.»
Separately, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said during an appearance on Fox News' «America Reports» that a Justice Department investigation is examining Omar's financial disclosures. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has said the reported value of two businesses tied to Omar's husband, Tim Mynett, rose from as much as $51,000 in 2023 to as much as $30 million in 2024. Omar later amended the filing, saying the original figures resulted from an accounting error; the amended disclosure listed the couple's assets at between $18,004 and $95,000.
Omar has denied wrongdoing, and no criminal charges have been filed against her in connection with the disclosures. Mynett's businesses include eStCru, a winery, and Rose Lake Capital, an investment firm. The winery has reportedly shut down.
In an appearance on Fox News' «Sunday Night in America,» Comer told host Trey Gowdy that his committee's initial review identified multiple issues that could justify further investigative steps. He pointed to what he called a «huge discrepancy» in the disclosure form and to the winery that formed a large part of the reported holdings. In a February letter to Mynett, Comer wrote that Omar's 2023 disclosure listed her stake in eStCru as worth between $15,001 and $50,000, while the following year's form listed a stake worth between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000. He said there are «serious public concerns about how your businesses increased so dramatically in value only a year after reporting very limited assets.»
Members of Congress may also participate in the federal Thrift Savings Plan and qualify for a pension under the Federal Employees Retirement System, with eligibility and benefit amounts depending on factors including age, years of service and salary history. The financial investigation remains ongoing.
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