Report: Marriage License Application Reveals Ilhan Omar Appeared Unsure of Her Name

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) appeared confused about what name to use when applying for a license for her marriage to her alleged brother Ahmed Elmi in 2009, the New York Post reported Friday along with what appears to be a photo of the document. An apparently certified copy from the Hennepin County, Minnesota, government shows that the congresswoman’s surname was initially written as Omar, but then was crossed out and replaced with Elmi before a final edit reverted it to Omar, the conservative New York tabloid reported. The document will no doubt come into play in a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into whether the outspoken Somali-born Minnesota congresswoman committed fraud gaining her U.S. citizenship in 2000 by allegedly failing to use her accurate legal name and birthdate. Another eye-opening revelation in the ongoing news reports on the controversy is that the man she applied to marry with the document describes himself as gay. Omar’s legal name is a key element in the probe as the DOJ in its court filing last week named her as “Congresswoman Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.” A source familiar with the investigation had told the news outlet that Omar is a fictitious name and that she was born with the last name of Elmi, the same as her alleged brother she purportedly married. The marriage certificate application, dated February 12, 2009, has other entries that could be relevant in the probe. It asks whether the bride and groom are related to each other by blood or adoption. The couple checked the “no” box. Omar’s office did not respond to the Post for comment on the marriage license application. Meanwhile, the Post also reported, “It’s unclear who filled out the application, but it appears to have been written with just one person’s handwriting.” Also, unlike the Justice Department’s recent reference to Omar’s alleged true name, the initial revision was written as “Ilhan Omar Elmi,” the document shows. Omar has denied the allegations of fraud and called the investigation and questions about her marriage a racist conspiracy theory and a politically motivated smear by Republicans and President Donald Trump. However, when MS NOW anchor Chris Hayes recently asked her if she was related to Elmi, she answered, “Not to my knowledge,” an odd response that also made headlines. According to the Post, “An image of the marriage application has circulated online for years and appears to have been first published in August 2016 by the Minnesota outlet Alpha News. It has until now largely gone untouched by major news outlets.” Scott W. Johnson, a retired Minneapolis attorney, who has been investigating the “curious case” of Omar and allegations of fraud for nearly a decade, told the Post “the whole thing is a red flag.” “Questions should be asked,” he said. “She’s never answered them.” Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.