Minnesota Committee Fails to Subpoena Rep. Ilhan Omar Over Fraud Ties

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., did not respond to a Minnesota committee's request for details on her connections to a major fraud scandal in the state. The House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee voted Tuesday to subpoena her but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed, receiving only five of six required votes despite its Republican majority.

State Rep. Kristin Robbins, the committee chair, said ahead of the vote that members had contacted Omar several times to invite her testimony and request documents. "We have endeavored in multiple ways to get access to [information] because, as everyone knows, Representative Omar had had some role, whether inadvertent or not," Robbins said. "She passed the MEALS Act in March of 2020, and that took the guardrails off the federal school nutrition program, which created the conditions for [fraud]."

Robbins called the subpoena important amid dozens or hundreds of investigations and weekly whistleblower reports. She said the committee would keep pursuing those leads and fraud networks even without official hearings and would try to work with Omar's office for cooperation.

Fox News Digital asked Robbins about next steps after the failed vote. "They're fading," she replied of the committee's options. She plans to ask congressional colleagues for a subpoena, noting the federal program's relevance. Robbins said the federal government has a range of legal options since Omar serves in Congress, though she questioned its priority amid other probes.

Last month, Robbins said, Omar skipped a hearing on the MEALS Act, a 2020 federal COVID-19 relief measure she sponsored. In a letter, Robbins expressed disappointment and requested communications showing Omar's promotion of expanded federal child nutrition access, including emails, texts and meeting records with the Minnesota Department of Education and constituents.

The request focused on Omar's public endorsement of Minneapolis restaurant Safari Restaurant, which later tied to the program. Robbins referenced a Somali-language TV appearance where Omar promoted it as a meal site and sought all related communications.

Robbins also wants records of any contacts between Omar and figures in the Feeding Our Future case, such as nonprofit founder Aimee Bock and dozens of charged or implicated co-conspirators. The response deadline was Tuesday, May 5. Fox News Digital contacted Omar's office for comment.