Ilhan Omar’s Latest Scandal

Did Ilhan Omar marry her brother? Did she lie on his, or her, naturalization papers? Did she illegally use campaign funds to pay her divorce lawyer? To pay for a trip to Estonia? Did she accept speaking fees from public colleges while serving in the state legislature, in violation of the law? Why did Minnesota campaign finance officials rule that Omar had to pay back $3,500 that she had spent on out-of-state travel, and tax filings in violation of state law, plus a $500 fine? And what was the penalty after the Campaign Finance Board’s investigation found that, in 2014 and 2015, Omar had jointly filed taxes with a man to whom she was not legally married? Didn’t she direct millions of dollars of campaign money to fund her husband’s political consulting business? How was it that her husband’s assets — ownership of Rose Lake Capital LLC and eStCru LLC — were first listed as worth $30 million and after questions were raised, the next year those assets were reduced to $95,000? How deeply was she involved in the numerous Somali frauds that have cost Minnesota taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars? Oh, so much to investigate, but let’s put all of these scandals to one side, and simply ask about the latest curious chapter in the saga of Ilhan Omar, which concerns her sister, Sahra Noor, who for a few years ran a health clinic, the Africa Public Health Foundation, in Minneapolis. More on Sahra Noor’s American success story can be found here: “It’s All in the Family? Ilhan Omar’s Sister Ran Clinic Omar Funneled Taxpayer Cash To,” by Catherine Salgado, PJ Media, May 1, 2026:

Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) bragged about obtaining millions of dollars in taxpayer funds for renovating a health clinic during her time in the Minnesota state House. And the woman who ran that clinic is her own sister. It presents another interesting development as the Trump administration continues to investigate Somali fraud in Minnesota and Omar herself faces charges of immigration fraud.

President Donald Trump did state that he believes evidence implicates Omar in the Minnesota Somali fraud network, and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) also accused Omar of requesting funds for a substance abuse clinic that turned out to be a false front for a Somali fraud operation. The Democrat representative is also linked to the $250 million “Feeding Our Future” scandal. Also, Vice President JD Vance confirmed Omar committed immigration fraud. So it wouldn’t be shocking if she had engaged in some shady deals to help out her sister.

Omar, who often likes to be cagey about her family tree (especially the brother she married), has been quite open about her relationship with her “sis” Sahra Noor, for example posting about her multiple times or responding to her on social media. In 2020, when the Africa Public Health Foundation announced Noor was its new interim director, Omar enthused, “Congratulations abaayo, we are so proud of you. In this time of need, I am delighted to know you are in a position to lead on this front. ” In 2018, Omar responded to a complaint from Noor about caucusing by ribbing, “Oh no! Sorry to hear that sis, it’s my favorite part of elections ” All of this establishes the relationship between Noor and Omar.

Noor does not say on her X account that she is currently with the People’s Center Clinic & Services, and it appears that her association with the clinic is ended. But back in 2015, she was its CEO. The People’s Center even bragged on Facebook in February of that year, “Congratulations Sahra! Sahra Noor, CEO of People’s Center, was recently named one of the 40 top young business leaders under the age of 40 by Mnpls/St. Paul Business Journal. She will be honored in a ceremony on March 5.”

Why did Noor leave her sinecure as CEO of the Africa Health Foundation and move to Kenya? Was there some scandal that led to her discharge? In Kenya, she bills herself as “the founder and CEO of Grit Partners.” She provides an advertisement for herself at LinkedIn here:

I’ve spent my life navigating two worlds: one shaped by conflict and migration, the other by global health and leadership. The bridge between them is where I do my best work.

As founder and CEO of Grit Partners, I help organizations working in global health strengthen systems, grow leadership capacity, and build resilient teams.

My focus is simple: context, clarity, and people. The real work happens when leaders feel grounded enough to face complexity without losing sight of the communities they serve.

Alongside this work, I’m preparing to publish my first book, a memoir that weaves my personal story with the professional path I’ve taken across global health, philanthropy, and leadership development. It explores what it means to survive conflict, build community far from home, and insist on dignity inside systems that don’t always know what to do with people like us.

The story sits at the intersection of identity, courage, and the systems we build or rebuild when life pushes us to begin again. Writing it reminded me why I love what I do and why this work matters: real change begins when people feel seen, supported, and grounded in their own story.

Pre-order Salt in the Snow (August, 2026) https://tinyurl.com/Salt-in-the-Snow

I approach every engagement with a deep commitment to contextual relevance and human-centered insight, and the impact is best reflected in the voices of those I’ve had the privilege to work with.

Sahra Noor piles it on, every feelgood earnest banality and bromide in current usage. Smarmy, fulsome, phony. But what do you expect? She’s now the CEO of “Grit Partners” and the sister of the Grift Partner par excellence — Ilhan Omar, who lurches from scandal to scandal and still manages to keep one step ahead of the feds and the T-men. But with the massive Somali fraud cases now at various stages, and with 85 Somalis out of the 98 people charged so far in the Feeding Our Future fraud that has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds, and with the louche dealings involving her brother, and her sister, and campaign funds, and tax returns, and her husband’s companies, and her now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t net worth, Ilhan Omar may be coming to the end of the road.

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