Could a billion-dollar welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota be the political iceberg that sinks Rep. Ilhan Omar’s carefully crafted image?

Minnesota has been rocked by a staggering $1 billion welfare fraud scheme, primarily involving members of the Somali community, with questions swirling around Omar due to her documented connections to implicated individuals and organizations, Breitbart reported. 

Despite these ties, Omar adamantly denies any knowledge or involvement, though skeptics aren’t buying the “I knew nothing” defense so easily.

Unpacking Omar’s Connections to Fraud Cases

Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, a spot where Omar celebrated her 2018 congressional victory and held campaign events, has surfaced as a key player in multiple fraud investigations.

The restaurant’s owners, Salim Said and Aimee Bock, were convicted in the Feeding Our Future case, which diverted $250 million in child food aid from the state’s neediest.

Omar, often noted for her close relationship with these owners, was even captured on video at Safari promoting a meal program later tied to the fraud probes—a questionable look at best.

Legislation and Fraud: A Troubling Link

Further complicating matters, Omar spearheaded the 2020 MEALS Act, a bipartisan effort that became law but sadly morphed into a goldmine for fraudsters.

Salim Said was convicted of stealing $12 million from this very program, money meant to feed hungry kids, not fund personal gain.

Critics can’t help but wonder how Omar’s championed legislation became so exploited by those around her, even if she pleads total unawareness.

Campaign Ties Under the Microscope

Then there’s Guhaad Hashi Said, a former Omar campaign official from 2018 to 2020, who admitted guilt in running a fake food aid group that swindled $3.2 million in state funds.

This Democrat activist, responsible for voter turnout in the Somali community, falsely claimed to feed 5,000 children through his sham outfit, Advance Youth Athletic Development.

Donations from convicted fraudsters to Omar’s campaign, later returned to the tune of $7,400 in 2022, only intensify doubts about her claim of ignorance.

Omar’s Defense and Public Pushback

Omar remains steadfast, insisting she had no clue about the schemes unfolding in her orbit, a position that strains credulity for many observers. “Yet Omar has claimed to know nothing about any of it,” wrote Chadwick Moore in the New York Post, summing up the skepticism resonating on the right.

In a New York Times op-ed, Omar pivoted to offense, accusing former President Trump of bigotry for highlighting the fraud within Minnesota’s Somali community. “He fails to realize how deeply Somali Americans love this country,” she wrote, praising their roles as doctors, teachers, and leaders.

Yet, in that same piece, Omar sidestepped the fraud allegations entirely, leaving critics to question why she’s more focused on deflecting than addressing the billion-dollar elephant in the room.