Trump Calls for Ilhan Omar's Resignation After Court Filing Lists Alternate Name

On Wednesday, the Justice Department filed a motion in federal court in Washington that referred to Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota as "Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar." The abbreviation means "also known as." Within a day, President Donald Trump was calling on her to resign from Congress and presenting the second name as evidence of identity fraud.

The filing itself does not say that. It does not explain how the two names relate, and it does not establish that Omar committed fraud. She has not been charged with any crime.

The filing grew out of a chain of events that began on October 12, when federal agents searched Omar's Washington, DC, home under what officials described as a judicially authorised search warrant. The search is part of an ongoing criminal investigation. It reportedly concerns allegations that Omar or her late father gave false information on immigration paperwork when the family fled Somalia and came to the United States in 1995, when she was a child. Omar has denied wrongdoing and called the search political intimidation. She has said she plans to move out of the home, citing safety concerns.

On October 15, Judicial Watch and The New York Times, joined by 14 other press organisations, filed applications in the US District Court for the District of Columbia asking for access to the sealed records tied to the warrant. Judicial Watch said it wanted the warrant, the supporting affidavits and an inventory of the materials seized made public.

The Justice Department's reply came on October 21, in a motion asking for more time to respond. That motion contained the name line. Prosecutors asked the court to delay their response until after they have fully executed the search warrant, and said they would submit a status report within 30 days of completing the search.

The next day, Fox News Digital cited the filing and reported, relying on unnamed sources, that Omar's birth name was Ilhan Nur Said Elmi. The article revived speculation about her name and longstanding rumours about her 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Some have claimed he is her brother, an allegation she has repeatedly denied. Trump escalated his public attacks the same day, calling for her resignation.

Omar answered on October 23. A spokesperson told Al Jazeera that her name has always been Ilhan Omar and that any suggestion otherwise is "flat out false." On X, Omar accused Trump of promoting conspiracy theories through the Justice Department. "Whenever the news turns bad, this creep reaches for one name: mine," she wrote, adding that her name has always been Ilhan Omar. She told him to focus instead on "what your VP's real name is." In an interview with Chris Hayes of MS NOW, she said her critics believe someone of her background and faith should not be in Congress or hold a position that shapes US law. "I have a legal right to be a member of Congress, and I am honoured," she said.

The scrutiny of her name comes amid a wider run of attacks on Muslim American politicians. One is Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for US Senate in Michigan, whose full name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed. Trump has mocked his name and called him a "jihadist," and told a rally he could call him "Mohammed" or "whatever the hell I want." Speaking to Al Jazeera on Thursday, a Michigan voter asked why El-Sayed does not share his "real name." Asked whether she knew the full name of his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, she answered, "Mohamed's not his middle name."

What to watch next: whether the court unseals the warrant records, and the government's status report, due within 30 days of finishing the search of Omar's home.