A conservative blogger who was among the first to raise questions about Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar says federal agents interviewed him in January, months before the raid on the congresswoman's Washington, D.C. home in October. The disclosure suggests federal authorities were building a case well before the public search.
Scott Johnson, a retired Minnesota attorney and co-founder of the Powerline Blog, told NewsNation that he received an unexpected call earlier this year to meet with two federal agents in Minnesota. The meeting took place eight months before the October raid on Omar's residence, which has since become the focus of intense political scrutiny.
Johnson first began looking into Omar in 2016, when she ran for local office. His initial questions centered on her personal finances and potential irregularities, which he documented on his blog. Over the years, he continued to raise concerns about her financial disclosures and campaign spending, but it was not until January that federal agents reached out to him directly.
"They wanted to know what I had found and how I had come across it," Johnson said. "It was clear they were doing a deep dive, not just a casual look." The agents' visit suggests that the investigation into Omar had been active for months, possibly longer, before the high-profile raid.
The October raid on Omar's home was part of a broader federal probe into her family's financial dealings, according to reports that reveal a wider investigation. Federal agents seized Omar's phone and issued subpoenas to relatives as part of the fraud probe, as detailed in earlier coverage.
Omar has dismissed the investigation as politically motivated, calling it "delusional" and accusing Vice President Vance of pushing a false narrative, as she stated in her response to the VP's claims. She has not been charged with any crime, and her lawyers have maintained her innocence.
The investigation has drawn significant attention because of Omar's national profile as a progressive Democrat and a member of the "Squad." Her critics, including Johnson, have long called for greater scrutiny of her financial practices, while her supporters argue that the probe is a partisan attack.
Johnson's interview with federal agents could prove significant, as it indicates that investigators were actively seeking outside information from individuals who had been tracking Omar's activities. The timing also suggests that the investigation was well underway before the raid, contradicting any suggestion that the search was a sudden or reactive move.
As the probe continues, the political implications are likely to grow, especially with the 2026 midterm elections approaching. For now, Johnson says he has no further contact with federal agents, but he remains watchful. "I told them everything I knew," he said. "The rest is up to them."
