In unusual move, Republican chairman scrutinizes companies tied to husband of Rep. Ilhan Omar [View all]

Source: Associated Press

In unusual move, Republican chairman scrutinizes companies tied to husband of Rep. Ilhan Omar

By STEPHEN GROVES
Updated 1:56 PM EST, February 6, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House Oversight Committee on Friday requested records related to firms partially owned by the husband of Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, taking the extraordinary step of scrutinizing the spouse of a sitting House member.

Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, released a letter to Timothy Mynett, a former Democratic political consultant who is married to Omar, requesting records related to a pair of companies that had a substantial jump in value between 2023 and 2024, according to financial disclosures filed by the congresswoman.

Comer’s request marked a highly unusual move by the chair of a committee with a history of taking on politically-charged investigations, but almost always focused on government officials outside of Congress. The House Ethics Committee, which is comprised of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans and tries to stay away from political fights, typically handles allegations involving lawmakers and their family members.

Yet since her 2018 election as one of the first Muslim women in the House, Omar has received nearly-nonstop attacks from the right. She has dismissed allegations around her finances as “misleading” and based on conspiracy theories.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/james-comer-oversight-ilhan-omar-4a8b3dc1a8074209b39f2649b8e48146