Rep. Ilhan Omar says DHS has not formally reached out to her about an investigation and that she does not “really worry about it”

The case’s fixed reference point is the Trump administration’s public accusation that Rep. Ilhan Omar married her brother to obtain immigration benefits, together with its announced federal criminal investigation of her. Omar answers the officials’ claims by telling the reporter to ask them what information they have, by saying DHS has not contacted her, and by dismissing the marriage allegation as something the right wing “has always had this shit going.” That criticizes the accusation as a recurring partisan attack, though she does not address in this exchange whether it is true. The closest competing labels are challenges_characterization, because she questions the officials’ information and says she has not been contacted, and minimizes, because she says she does not “really worry about it.” They lose because she goes beyond disputing a description by characterizing the accusation itself as something the right wing “has always had this shit going,” and she concedes no concern to downplay. Ending the exchange does not make it explicitly_declines, because she answered each question first.