Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) has spent years trying to run from the story that she married her brother as part of an immigration fraud scheme, and she usually blames the whole thing as being nothing more than a right-wing conspiracy theory.
Well, that wall of defense is starting to crumble as a prominent Minnesota Democrat breaks ranks and publicly questions Omar’s story – and her campaign isn't taking it well at all.
Former Minnesota state Rep. Joe Radinovich, who also once served as chief of staff to uber-lefty Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, broke ranks Thursday, suggesting the longstanding allegations against Omar are "almost certainly true."
When a former Omar campaign official accused him of participating in a politically motivated witch hunt, Radinovich refused to back down.
"I'm not stupid," he shot back, explaining that while he questions the motives of the federal investigation into Omar and her family, he's still convinced there's something to the allegations.
Democrats should understand that the allegation is almost certainly true—whatever conclusion they draw from that point could vary—and her denials calling it a right-wing, Islamophobic or racist conspiracy are almost certainly not.
— Joe Radinovich (@joeradinovich) October 29, 2026
Omar's campaign responded by calling Radinovich a "deeply troubled individual" with an "irrational obsession" with the congresswoman, even going so far as to accuse him of being a shill for Republican and corporate money.
A fiery response like that reads less like an outraged campaign and more like a politician with something to hide.
Also, so much for party unity.
RedState previously reported about the allegations against Omar and her family that have recently resurfaced amid revelations that the Obama administration had been investigating her past. And, as Bob Hoge noted, dozens of House Democrats declined to sign a letter defending Omar against the federal probe.
Omar has repeatedly denied the allegations, and she has yet to be charged with a crime. But when a veteran Democrat from your own party – one who's right in your own backyard – publicly questions your story, dismissing the whole thing as a right-wing conspiracy gets a little more difficult to pull off.
It's time for the congresswoman to face a hard truth: this story isn't going away any time soon.