by David Hawkins
A friend and former close associate of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has blown the whistle to confirm publicly that the congresswoman married her biological brother, according to a bombshell new report.
Abdihakim Osman is publicly alleging for the first time that Omar once identified the man who later became her second husband as her brother.
Osman says Omar married her brother, Ahmed Elmi, to “get him papers” so he could stay in the United States, illegally manipulating immigration laws.
The claim renews long-standing questions surrounding the Minnesota Democrat’s marital history.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Osman said Omar told friends years ago that Elmi, whom she quietly married in 2009, was her sibling.
Osman said the revelation stunned members of Minneapolis’ Somali community, who later learned about the marriage only after reporters uncovered the civil registration.
It was apparently common knowledge among the Somali community that Omar and Elmi were brother and sister, but their marriage was kept secret.
“No one knew there had been a wedding until the media turned up the marriage certificate years later,” Osman, 40, told the outlet.
The allegation is poised to reignite scrutiny of Omar, who has repeatedly declined to explain the circumstances of her marriage to Elmi.
Omar has previously called reports suggesting she married her brother “baseless, absurd rumors,” but has refused further comment.
Her spokesman reiterated to the Daily Mail that Omar “does not address matters involving her family or personal life” and is “focused on the work her constituents sent her to Washington to accomplish.”