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“These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country,” Trump said at the White House. *”They have a representative, Ilhan Omar, who they say married her brother. She should be thrown the hell out of our country.”*¹
Omar’s response was telling. Rather than address the staggering fraud, she claimed Trump’s comments put people at risk.
“It creates fear,” Omar told CNN’s Jake Tapper. *”And there is a possible danger that a lot of the people who follow the president have exhibited violence in many cases.”*²
Her argument? Trump supporters might attack Somali Americans because of his criticism.
This tactic isn’t new. Back in 2019, Omar claimed Trump’s tweets led to increased death threats against her. But what she left out this time is critical. Minnesota is facing an unprecedented wave of welfare fraud, and the Somali community is at the center of multiple schemes.
The Fraud Scandal Omar Ignores
Federal prosecutors have charged 78 people in the “Feeding Our Future” case alone—the largest pandemic-relief fraud in American history. More than $250 million in federal nutrition aid, intended to feed children during COVID, was stolen.³
The fraud involved fake meal counts at nonexistent sites, with only a fraction of the promised meals actually delivered. Aimee Bock, the white founder of Feeding Our Future, was convicted and sent to prison earlier this year. But more than 50 of the 78 defendants are of Somali descent.⁴
The corruption doesn’t stop there. Another group defrauded Minnesota’s housing stabilization program out of $104 million, falsely claiming to aid people at risk of homelessness. A third group stole $14 million by billing for autism treatment services never provided.
In total, investigators have documented nearly $662 million in fraud across multiple programs.⁵
Even Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the investigation is examining whether some stolen funds ended up with al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based terrorist organization. House Oversight Chairman James Comer has also launched a probe after nearly 500 Minnesota Department of Human Services employees accused Governor Tim Walz of ignoring early warnings and retaliating against whistleblowers.⁶
This isn’t fiction or political theater—federal prosecutors from both the Biden and Trump administrations have been actively charging defendants for years. Over 50 have pleaded guilty, seven more have been convicted at trial, and one even attempted to bribe a juror with $120,000 in cash.
Omar Deflects Instead of Leading
On CNN, Omar had an opportunity to lead on a critical issue affecting her constituents. Many Somali Americans have been victims of the very schemes she refused to acknowledge. Kayseh Magan, a Somali American who investigated Medicaid fraud for Minnesota’s attorney general, noted that community members are *“frequently victims of the schemes.”*⁷
Instead, Omar chose identity politics, claiming Trump is “demonizing an entire group of people based on ethnicity” and warning about “danger” from his supporters. There was no acknowledgment of the actual crimes, no plan to clean up corruption, and no concern for Somali Americans whose reputations have been tarnished by these massive fraud schemes.
This is why Democrats lost Minnesota by the narrowest margin in decades. Working-class voters are exhausted by politicians who hide behind claims of racism instead of tackling real problems.
Trump exposed hundreds of millions in stolen taxpayer dollars. Omar’s response was to cry victimhood and blame Trump supporters. That’s not leadership—it’s deflection. And it proves Democrats still haven’t grasped why voters rejected them.
