Minnesota’s largest newspaper attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar on Wednesday over irregularities in her tax returns.
“It’s not too much to expect that a lawmaker would check with a tax attorney on a rather complicated marital status before filing. And when questions arise, it’s a violation to use campaign funds to clear up those personal issues, as Omar apparently did,” the Star Tribune editorial board wrote Tuesday in a piece titled “Ilhan Omar’s credibility takes another hit.” “If this pattern continues, further investigation may be necessary. Omar could have avoided nearly every infraction by taking simple measures in advance to determine whether her actions would pass legal muster.”
“Omar’s political rise has been marred by a series of unforced errors, including intemperate remarks and tweets earlier this year that were widely perceived as anti-Semitic. Every month seems to bring a fresh problem,” the editorial board said before concluding, “Omar has a special obligation to be worthy of the trust so many have placed in her, including many still-new Americans who expect better.”
The board’s reprimand comes after the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board released a report Thursday that showed the Minnesota Democrat had multiple campaign finance violations and may have broken federal tax law.
The report noted that Omar had filed taxes jointly with her current husband Ahmed Hirsi in 2014 and 2015 even though the two were not legally married until 2018.
The freshman congresswoman was fined $500 by the board and forced to pay back $3,469 from her personal funds back to her campaign.
“I’m glad this process is complete and that the Campaign Finance Board has come to a resolution on this matter. We have been collaborative in this process and are glad the report showed that none of the money was used for personal use, as was initially alleged,” Omar said in regards to her alleged campaign finance violations.
She claimed in a separate statement that there was no wrongdoing in her tax filings.
