Minnesota State Rep. Kristin Robbins doesn’t mince words. When she describes Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s relationship with people caught up in a massive fraud scandal, she says Omar was “thick as thieves with these people.” That’s the kind of bluntness you don’t hear much from elected officials anymore, but Robbins isn’t backing down. She’s been trying to get answers from Omar for months, and she’s gotten nothing but silence.
Here’s what makes this story particularly damning. The New York Times just published a bombshell about an Obama-era FBI investigation into claims that Omar entered a fake marriage with a man who might be her brother. Investigators found evidence supporting those claims, but prosecutors never filed charges because the statute of limitations ran out. Think about that for a second. The Justice Department didn’t say she was innocent. They said they ran out of time.
But Robbins has been chasing a different scandal, one that makes the marriage controversy look almost quaint by comparison. Feeding Our Future was a Minnesota nonprofit that became the centerpiece of a $250 million fraud scheme. Federal money meant to feed hungry children got funneled into the pockets of criminals instead. And Omar’s office had contact with people involved in that scheme. We know this because six messages between Omar’s staff and individuals now facing federal charges showed up in court records.
Robbins leads a Minnesota House committee investigating fraud and how state agencies handle it. She’s spent months wading through documents, questioning officials, and listening to whistleblowers who say they got punished for trying to expose the theft. Her investigation keeps turning up more questions about child care centers, autism providers, sober homes, and Medicaid billing. The scope is staggering.
What Robbins wants is simple. She wants those six messages. She wants to know what Omar’s office was telling people who later got indicted for stealing from taxpayers. Was the congresswoman’s staff explaining how to access federal programs? Were they offering guidance that these fraudsters used to exploit the system? The timing matters here because Omar introduced legislation during the pandemic that would have loosened rules for federal child nutrition programs.
Take Abdikerm Eidleh. He’s connected to the Feeding Our Future case and fled the country in 2022. Authorities finally brought him back to face charges in July. Federal court records mention messages involving Omar’s staff and people tied to this case. Then there’s Safari Restaurant, whose owner got convicted by a federal jury in the fraud scandal. Omar held campaign events there. She appeared in a video promoting the food program. The connections keep stacking up.
Robbins hasn’t found proof that Omar knowingly participated in the fraud. That matters and it’s worth stating clearly. But the question isn’t whether Omar masterminded a criminal conspiracy. The question is whether her office helped people who later got charged with stealing a quarter billion dollars from programs meant to feed children. And if they did help, what exactly did that help look like?
You know what’s remarkable? How easy it would be for Omar to clear this up. Just turn over the messages. Let the committee see what was said and when. If there’s nothing incriminating, releasing the communications would shut down the entire line of inquiry. But Omar has ghosted the committee. Robbins says they’ve asked the congresswoman to testify voluntarily dozens of times. Radio silence.
This is the kind of stonewalling that makes regular people furious. We’re talking about money stolen from programs designed to help vulnerable kids. And when a state legislator asks questions about a congresswoman’s potential connections to that theft, the response is complete silence? That doesn’t pass the smell test.
Robbins told The Daily Wire exactly what she’d ask if she were sitting across from Omar face to face. “Will you give us the documents that show your communication with everyone involved in Feeding Our Future?” It’s a straightforward question. The fact that it hasn’t been answered tells you plenty.
The federal government has a duty to prosecute criminals who steal taxpayer money. State legislators have a duty to investigate how that theft happened and prevent it from happening again. And elected officials have a basic obligation to answer legitimate questions about their conduct. Omar appears to think these duties don’t apply to her. That calculation might work in a friendly media environment, but Robbins isn’t giving up. She shouldn’t have to.
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