The Minnesota congresswoman known as Ilhan Omar has seen her decade-old marriage narrative collapse after her ex-husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, admitted to being homosexual.
Federal investigators have long suspected that the Democrat congresswoman’s 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi was a sham designed to help the British-Somali national secure permanent residency in the United States. A former colleague stated: “Democrats should understand that the allegation is almost certainly true — whatever conclusion they draw from that point could vary — and her denials calling it a right-wing, Islamophobic or racist conspiracy are almost certainly not.”
The congresswoman, whose real name may be “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi” according to a Justice Department court filing dated October 21, has previously defended the legitimacy of her marriage to Elmi. However, she now faces an even greater challenge as Ahmed Nur Said Elmi has publicly confirmed his homosexuality.
Elmi, who fled the United States after federal officials sought evidence that his marriage to the congresswoman was legitimate, is now an academic specializing in LGBT issues. In a paper titled “Out in the Field: Notes on Researching Queer Violence in Kenya,” he identifies as a gay man of the East African diaspora and notes that his homosexuality sometimes enabled him to build rapport with more queer-friendly groups while also discussing instances of homophobic abuse.
The congresswoman was legally married to Elmi from 2009 until their separation in 2017. A self-identified friend claimed in 2020 that the congresswoman had confirmed Elmi is her brother and that they married to help him remain in the United States.
The Minnesota Campaign Finance Board revealed that while still legally married to Elmi, the congresswoman filed joint tax returns with Ahmed Hirsi, a man she married in a Muslim ceremony in 2002 and with whom she has children. After allegedly divorcing Elmi via a Muslim marriage in 2011, the congresswoman reunited with Hirsi in 2012 and had another child before formally divorcing Elmi in 2017.
The Obama Department of Justice investigated the brother-husband allegations as far back as 2016. Investigators reportedly found evidence that Elmi and the congresswoman are siblings, but a U.S. attorney in Minnesota shut down the investigation shortly after President Joe Biden took office.
President Donald Trump has demanded the congresswoman’s immediate resignation, stating: “She will not be legally allowed to be a Member of this Congress from this point forth.”
