Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Friday filed for divorce from her husband Ahmed Abdisalen Hirsi, contradicting her denials in August that she was experiencing problems in her personal life. The denials came in the wake of our Complaint to the Federal Election Commission alleging that Omar may have illegally used campaign funds to facilitate an extramarital affair. A few days previous, the wife of a political consultant named Tim Mynett alleged that her husband’s travel with Omar was not work-related, but for romance.
Omar married Hirsi in 2002 when she was 19 in what she claims was a Muslim religious ceremony. They did not legally marry. The couple had two children before allegedly separating in 2008. Omar legally married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009. It appears that Elmi may be Omar’s brother who she wed to enable him to obtain U.S. citizenship. Omar and Elmi claimed to religiously divorce in 2011 but did not legally divorce until 2017. In 2011, Omar and Hirsi purported to reconcile and have a third child. The two legally married in early 2018, after Omar divorced Elmi. Documents obtained by the Washington Examiner indicate that Hirsi was living with Omar during the time that she claims that she was married to Elmi.
While we do not get involved in the personal lives of elected officials, we do wish to see campaign finance law applied evenhandedly, and violations exposed and prosecuted.