Trump says the search of Omar's home is "really up to the DOJ"
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States
Asked whether he had advance notice of the search, Trump told reporters it was really up to the Justice Department and that investigators were looking at Omar very carefully, and said his view of her as crooked had nothing to do with him.
“that’s really up to the DOJ ... I understand they are looking at her very carefully ... I’ve always found her to be totally crooked personally, but that has nothing to do with me.”
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Federal agents search Ilhan Omar's home weeks before the election; Democrats allege political targeting
Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington home on October 12, 2026, under a warrant the Justice Department says a judge authorized. Omar and House Democratic leaders call the search political intimidation timed before the midterm election. Trump says the matter is up to the Justice Department.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Reports the Justice Department's statement on the search, Omar's post, Trump's remarks and Tom Emmer's post. The link between the search and Omar's immigration paperwork comes from an anonymous senior administration official.
Reporting
About this source
Reports the search, the Justice Department's statement, Trump's remarks and the joint Democratic statement. Notes the department's historical practice of avoiding public investigative steps near an election.
Before the quotation
Reporters asked Trump whether he had advance notice of the search.
After the quotation
He went on to call Omar a terrible person and a complainer, and said she comes from a noncountry and complains about the Constitution.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether the federal search of Omar's home was politically motivated, as Omar and Democratic leaders allege. Trump says the search is "really up to the DOJ" and distances himself from it without saying whether it was politically motivated, so we labeled it Challenged characterization. The closest competing label is Denied; it loses because he does not directly say the search was not political.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Ilhan Omar
More from this case
Read the full caseJustice Department calls the letter from Omar's lawyers "riddled with false allegations"
United States Department of Justice
“riddled with false allegations and inaccuracies ... Our attorneys and law enforcement partners complied with all court orders and legal obligations, as they always do”Read statement
Omar's lawyers call the investigation "vindictive, retributive, and politically motivated"
“This vindictive, retributive, and politically motivated criminal investigation into one of the President’s chief congressional critics violates Representative Omar’s constitutional rights and threatens the separation of powers”Read statement
Democracy Defenders Fund asks for a Hatch Act investigation of the search of Omar's home
Democracy Defenders Fund
“This unprecedented raid occurred a mere four days before general early voting begins in Minnesota and appears to be timed to influence voters in the upcoming midterm election, in violation of 5 U.S.C. § 7323(a)(1).”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Trump says the search of Omar's home is "really up to the DOJ"
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/5881-asked-whether-he-had-advance-notice-of-the
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Trump says the search of Omar's home is "really up to the DOJ"". First published: 2026-10-17. Last updated: 2026-10-17. https://disputeindex.com/events/5881-asked-whether-he-had-advance-notice-of-the