The Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) scandal and corruption saga is continuing unabated on this Halloween day, and if that seems strangely appropriate, it may be because it is. In the latest episode of "Ilhan Omar seeks to dodge accountability," she's reacting to the accusations flying her way by lawyering up.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has tapped two high-powered Washington, D.C.-based attorneys who have previously represented elected officials at the highest echelon of American politics.
Amid dueling federal investigations — one for immigration fraud and another for financial disclosure discrepancies — the embattled Somali-born lawmaker hired Amy Jeffress and Joshua Matz, according to a CBS report, both of whom are partners at Hecker Fink LLP.
The attorneys have in the past represented Democrat clients and taken on left-leaning cases — especially those taking aim at President Donald Trump, his administration and his supporters.
These are some high-speed, low-drag pleaders, from the looks of it. Amy Jeffress has been on both sides, in private practice and in government gigs.
Jeffress is a former federal prosecutor whose biography says she tried more than 40 cases during a decade in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia, where she was Chief of the National Security Section. She has also been a Department of Justice (DOJ) Attaché.
She served as former President Joe Biden's attorney in his lawsuit against the DOJ earlier this year. In that case, Biden sought to halt the release of audio recordings between himself and his "Promise Me, Dad" book ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer. The audio was recorded in 2016 and 2017, and were subject to a FOIA request from the Heritage Foundation in 2024.
Joshua Matz, also, appears to have trod both sides of the street.
Matz is also a partner at Hecker Fink. He graduated from Harvard Law, and clerked for former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
"Joshua’s practice has long included a focus on democracy and elections," his biography page says.
He represented the state of Pennsylvania in defending the certification of its election results, including arguing before the Supreme Court.
Look, even a woman who stands suspected of allegedly marrying her brother in an act of immigration fraud is entitled to legal representation. She's certainly getting support from other Democrats, in and out of office, and to be fair, lawyering up isn't an admission of anything.
But it's an interesting move nonetheless.
Here's my question, though: Who's picking up the tab? These two high-powered types are likely expensive, and Omar's net worth is going up and down like a hyperactive kid on a pogo stick. Are they taking her case pro bono? Or is someone else paying? If so, what might that someone else want in return?
One thing here is for sure and for certain: Ilhan Omar's troubles are far from over, even if she is a shoo-in for reelection in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, which would elect a puddle of methane between two rocks on the Saturnian moon of Titan to Congress if they saw a blue "D" in it. That's just how it is. But if the varied accusations she faces now end up being proven true — well, she could be stripped of her citizenship and sent back to Somalia. That would be roundly entertaining, but keep this in mind: If it happens, whoever replaces her will be cut from the same cloth.