Tom Emmer

United States representative for Minnesota’s 6th congressional district and House majority whip.

What we have documented

We have documented 6 statements by Tom Emmer, in 5 cases. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.

Statements by Tom Emmer

Tom Emmer

Role at the time: House majority whip and U.S. representative from Minnesota, interviewed by Fox News Digital

October 17, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer told Fox News Digital that Rep. Ilhan Omar should serve prison time and leave the country if it is proven that she lied to gain citizenship. He argued that the federal investigation is not political.

“I would say, first, she should probably serve time in the gray bar motel and then get the hell out of here. She should go back to where she came from” … “If it's determined that she lied to gain citizenship, then, absolutely, she should go back to the front of the line.”

Open the original interviewIlhan Omar should be jailed, deported if citizenship fraud proven, top House Republican says · Fox NewsEmmer's interview with Fox News Digital

Why we used this label

Emmer calls for prison and deportation if the allegations are proven, and he argues that the search warrant shows a judge found probable cause and that the investigation is not political. That defends the investigation and the accusation it pursues. The closest competing label is mixed or conditional, because he ties the punishment to proof; it loses because his defense of the investigation itself is unconditional.

Read statement Full case: Should Trump administration officials publicly accuse Rep. Ilhan Omar of immigration fraud?

Tom Emmer

Role at the time: House majority whip and representative for Minnesota's 6th District

September 23, 2026Challenged the characterization

Statement summary

In a September 23 X post, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer called the proposed Senate inquiry into Donald Trump Jr. an "unwarranted attack" and a "partisan distraction."

“This partisan distraction is NOT what the American people voted for!”

Read the original postPost by Tom Emmer (@GOPMajorityWhip) on X, September 23, 2026 · Tom EmmerComplete post 2102819200918036919, posted 17:55 UTC

Why we used this label

Emmer characterized the proposed inquiry as unwarranted and partisan without addressing the underlying allegations.

Read statement Full case: Should the Senate Judiciary Committee Subpoena Donald Trump Jr. Over His Kremlev-Funded Wedding Celebration?

Tom Emmer

Role at the time: U.S. Representative from Minnesota and House majority whip, posting on his personal X account

September 18, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

In a post on his X account, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said Peggy Flanagan “stood next to Tim Walz for seven years while the fraud exploded”, and that the “fraud scandal needs to end Peggy’s career too”.

“She stood next to Tim Walz for seven years while the fraud exploded, ending Walz’s political career. The fraud scandal needs to end Peggy’s career too.”

Read the original postTom Emmer (@tomemmer) on X: “The fraud scandal needs to end Peggy’s career too.”Full X post, published September 18, 2026 at 2:19 p.m. EDT (18:19 UTC).

Why we used this label

Emmer presses a parallel charge to Tafoya’s accusation that Flanagan hid from and allowed Minnesota’s fraud, saying in his own words that Flanagan “stood next to Tim Walz for seven years while the fraud exploded” and that the scandal should end her career. That defends and amplifies the accusation rather than merely reporting it. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”; it loses because Emmer states the charge without qualification.

Read statement Full case: Michele Tafoya’s accusation that Peggy Flanagan is “hiding from” Minnesota’s welfare-fraud scandal

Tom Emmer

Role at the time: U.S. Representative, Minnesota 6th district

September 15, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

Tom Emmer voted Nay on H.Con.Res. 93, the House resolution directing the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.

“On Agreeing to the Resolution: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.”

Read the official statementU.S. House Roll Call Vote 307: H.Con.Res. 93, Iran War Powers Resolution (agreed to, 220-204)

Why we used this label

A nay vote opposed the resolution directing the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran, allowing U.S. military operations in the war to continue.

Read statement Full case: Do they support the war in Iran?

Tom Emmer

Role at the time: United States representative for Minnesota’s 6th congressional district and House majority whip.

September 9, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

At the Republican midterm convention, Emmer called El-Sayed an “evil man” and linked him to people he said believed Americans deserved the September 11 attacks.

“This evil man pals around with people who believe Americans deserved to be attacked on 9/11.”

Open sourceAssociated Press reports Tom Emmer’s GOP convention remarks about Abdul El-SayedParagraph identifying Tom Emmer’s convention remarks about Abdul El-Sayed and Hasan Piker.

Why we used this label

The case records the competing argument as whether declining to disavow an ally warrants an adverse inference about a candidate's judgment or beliefs. Emmer repeats the accusation from the convention stage, again routing it through association rather than any statement by El-Sayed, and adds a personal denunciation. Endorsing and amplifying the charge is support for the proposition under scrutiny. The closest competing label is condemns, previously carried here; it loses because his denunciation of El-Sayed is the accusation being made, not a criticism of it. Relabelled from condemns in a September 17 audit: condemns was being carried both by the speakers making this accusation and by those attacking it, so the label was doing opposite work on one conduct under scrutiny. Speakers who assert or support the accusation are now classified “Defended or excused”, matching Alyssa Brouillet (433) and John Fetterman (974); speakers who criticise it, including El-Sayed (434, 509, 512), Cole Wozniak (459) and Jon Favreau (437), keep condemns.

Read statement Full case: Mike Rogers’s 9/11 accusation against Abdul El-Sayed

Tom Emmer

Role at the time: U.S. Representative for Minnesota at the statement date.

March 4, 2026Defended or excused

Statement summary

Emmer defends Operation Epic Fury as necessary to end Iran’s threat.

“Operation Epic Fury is a bold, decisive, and necessary act of strength against a belligerent and ruthless enemy of freedom.”

Read the official statementEmmer defends Operation Epic Fury as necessary to end Iran’s threat.Complete official statement; date-only timestamp represented at noon UTC

Why we used this label

Relative to U.S. military involvement in the 2026 Iran war, Emmer defends Operation Epic Fury as necessary to end Iran’s threat.

Read statement Full case: Do they support the war in Iran?

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

Case

Federal agents search Ilhan Omar's home weeks before the election; Democrats allege political targeting

Relationship to this case: Participant

Omar calls the search of her home an attempt to target political enemies. The Justice Department says agents executed a judicially authorized warrant in an ongoing criminal investigation. A watchdog group asked the Office of Special Counsel to examine the timing under the Hatch Act.

Immigration Policy U.S. PoliticsUpdated October 17, 2026

Case