House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer says he is ready to lead an effort to force Rep. Ilhan Omar to answer questions on the House floor about her background, and to push for her expulsion if she refuses.
Appearing on Benny Johnson's show, the Kentucky Republican said Omar "should go into the well in front of the entire Congress and explain who she is, what her real name is, how old she is, whether or not her family was involved in a fraudulent business scheme." Comer argued that if the Minnesota Democrat is innocent, she should want to clear her name, and that Congress should yield her as much time as she wants.
If she refuses, Comer said, Congress should "begin a process of censure at the least, removal at best." According to The Gateway Pundit, no expulsion resolution has been filed yet.
Omar is under an active federal criminal investigation into possible false statements on her immigration and naturalization documents. On October 12, Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a court-authorized search warrant at her Washington, D.C., residence and seized phones, notebooks and other items.
A federal court filing lists her as "Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar." Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said there is evidence Omar married her brother as part of an immigration scheme, and White House border czar Tom Homan has confirmed ICE is examining whether she obtained citizenship through fraud.
Omar has denied the allegations and called the probe politically motivated. Earlier this month, 175 House Democrats led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal signed a letter demanding that the Justice Department and DHS drop the investigation, which they called "weaponization."
Comer has previously called for the public release of any evidence against Omar so the full House could decide whether she should stay. "Let us vote as to whether or not she needs to remain in Congress," he said in September on Just the News, No Noise.
"If you violated the laws to become a citizen, should that make you ineligible to be a member of Congress?" Comer asked at the time, answering, "I think so." The Constitution allows the House to expel a member by a two-thirds vote, a bar met only six times in the chamber's history, most recently with George Santos in 2023.
Rep. Randy Fine has said he will introduce an expulsion resolution if the Justice Department finds Omar committed immigration fraud, noting that a non-citizen cannot serve in Congress. President Donald Trump has said Omar used a fake name to be sworn in and has called for her immediate removal, while House Majority Whip Tom Emmer has said her "days are numbered" if the allegations are proven.
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