Rochelle Olson
Role at the time: Editorial columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune, in an opinion column
Condemned
Statement summary
Olson called on the administration to make public its evidence against Omar and said that until it does, the search looks like an unjust attempt by Trump to neutralize an opponent and disenfranchise her constituents.
“It’s time for the Trump administration to show its work regarding Omar. If it has evidence of criminal behavior, lay it out and let Omar have her day in court. If there’s any truth to these claims, air them. Until then, this appears to be Trump unjustly trying to neutralize an opponent and disenfranchise her DFL constituents.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Star Tribune column: Trump just upped his targeting of Ilhan Omar. Now let's see the warrant.Full column
Why we used this label
The question in this case is whether the search was legitimate law enforcement or political targeting. Olson says that unless the administration shows its evidence, the search looks like an unjust attempt to neutralize a political opponent.