Did Ilhan Omar marry her brother?

Grok says:

There is no conclusive evidence to confirm or disprove the claim that U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar married her brother. The rumor originated in 2016 from an anonymous post on a Somali-American online forum, alleging that Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen, in 2009 to help him gain U.S. residency or citizenship through immigration fraud. These claims gained traction among conservative blogs and commentators, but no definitive proof—such as birth certificates, DNA evidence, or official records—has emerged to substantiate them.
Omar has consistently denied the allegations, calling them “absurd and offensive” in a 2016 statement during her campaign for the Minnesota House of Representatives. She described Elmi as a former spouse, stating they married legally in 2009 and separated in 2011, with a legal divorce finalized in 2017. She has not provided detailed public documentation to counter the claims, citing the difficulty of proving a negative and the personal nature of the matter.
Investigations by outlets like the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Snopes have found circumstantial oddities in Omar’s marital history, such as overlapping addresses with Elmi and her current husband, Ahmed Hirsi, during certain periods, as well as joint tax filings with Hirsi while still legally married to Elmi. However, these discrepancies do not prove Elmi is her brother. The lack of reliable records from Somalia, due to its history of civil war, further complicates verification efforts.
Recent claims, such as a February 2025 Daily Mail report citing a Somali community leader alleging Omar admitted to marrying her brother, rely on anecdotal testimony without corroborating documentation. No U.S. government agency, including the FBI or Department of Justice, has confirmed an active investigation or charges related to these allegations as of March 15, 2025.
In summary, while the rumor persists and raises questions, it remains unproven based on available evidence. Omar maintains it is a baseless conspiracy, and independent fact-checkers have not found sufficient grounds to confirm it.

About Luke Ford

I've written five books (see Amazon.com). My work has been covered in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and on 60 Minutes. I teach Alexander Technique in Beverly Hills (Alexander90210.com).
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