Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., faced renewed scrutiny this week after an interview in which she addressed long-standing allegations that her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, was related to her.
During a Wednesday interview with MS NOW’s Chris Hayes, Omar was asked about claims, which she said originated from a Somali blog, that Elmi “had been my brother or something to that effect.” She said bloggers subsequently found people online who repeated the claim, calling the situation “insane.”
When Hayes pressed further, asking whether there was any “weird kernel of truth” to the allegation that she was related to Elmi, Omar responded, “Not to my knowledge.”
The answer quickly circulated on social media and drew questions for President Donald Trump, who was asked about it by reporters. Trump responded directly to how the question was framed to him.
“Yeah, well, ‘not to my knowledge’… that’s not a good answer,” Trump said. “That’s an answer that a lot of us assumed.”
Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, has faced the marriage-related allegations for years. Her exchange with Hayes has reignited discussion of the claims rather than putting them to rest.
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