Deleted Father’s Day Post Triggers Fresh Right-Wing Attacks on Ilhan Omar’s Federal Investigation
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
A 2013 Father’s Day post by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar that referenced a Somali term for father has been deleted, and right-wing commentators are using that removal to intensify their campaign around the ongoing federal probe into her marriage and immigration history.
Conservative commentators have seized on the removal of a 2013 social-media post in which U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar wished “Happy Father’s Day to my aabo Nur Said,” using the Somali word for father. The post, which appeared on her X account in June 2013, is no longer accessible, and its deletion has been amplified by right-wing observers eager to turn it into suspicion.
Federal court filings this month identified the Minnesota Democrat as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.” When asked about the filing, Omar told reporters, "My name is Ilhan Abdullahi Omar." The alternative name mirrors that of her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, who was married to Omar from 2009 to 2017.
Investigators have been examining allegations that Omar’s marriage to Elmi was arranged to secure a green card, claims the congresswoman has repeatedly denied. A federal search of her Washington residence on Oct. 12 yielded a DNA sample, and her sister Sahra Noor has spoken voluntarily with investigators.
President Donald Trump cited the court filing, suggesting Omar used a false name when sworn into Congress, while Omar’s office called the allegations a politically motivated smear. In an interview with Chris Hayes, Omar said she was unaware of any familial relationship with Elmi.
"If she has nothing to hide, why is she deleting everything? It’s about to get bad for Ilhan," wrote commentator Benny Johnson.
The Congressional Black Caucus previously identified Omar’s father as Nur Omar Mohamed, noting Somali naming conventions often incorporate a father’s and paternal grandfather’s names. Omar’s former husband, a British citizen, is now a doctoral researcher at the University of Bristol.
Republican Representative Randy Fine has said he would pursue expulsion from the House if the Justice Department finds Omar guilty of immigration fraud, though no court has yet ruled on the matter. The investigation remains ongoing.