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| She knows we know, but thinks she's untouchable |
Rep. Ilhan Omar (Socialist-MN) had nothing to say when Fox News Digital asked her point-blank if she would cooperate with the investigation into Minnesota's massive "Feeding Our Future" scandal. The far-left lawmaker faces accusations of ties to those at the center of a scheme federal prosecutors say ripped off taxpayers for roughly $250 million. Yet when pressed on those connections, Omar went radio silent.
(H/T Fox News Digital)
"Did you ask Minnesota Democrats to block the subpoena for the investigation of Feeding Our Future on the state level?" she was asked in the halls of Congress on Monday. No response. She also blew off the follow-up: "Would you cooperate with that subpoena and provide documents if they request it here in the House Oversight Committee?"
After the story ran, Omar's office coughed up a statement to Fox News Digital denying any involvement.
"Any claim that I had knowledge of this scheme is flat-out false," Omar said. "The MEALS Act was signed into law by President Trump and passed with bipartisan support as part of a broader legislative package. Trump’s USDA Secretary set the regulatory framework during the rollout of the program. I have always championed feeding kids and will continue to ensure our children do not go hungry."
Omar continued, "The moment this fraud came to light, I immediately sent a letter to the USDA Secretary demanding answers and accountability. As I stated from the beginning, stealing millions of dollars under the guise of feeding hungry children to bankroll lavish lifestyles and extravagant expenses is reprehensible. I’m grateful that Aimee Bock and every individual involved in this abhorrent scheme are being held accountable for defrauding taxpayers and betraying vulnerable children."
Her MEALS Act, the 2020 COVID relief bill she sponsored, is widely viewed as a key link to the scandal. Republicans argue it supercharged the fraud by fast-tracking USDA waiver authority for meal sites and gutting basic safeguards.
Despite months of dodging questions and refusing to provide information on her documented connections to some of the convicted players, Omar continues to play coy.
The Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee invited her to testify this month and requested documents related to the scandal. She missed the deadline, which led to a subpoena vote that fell short after Democrats blocked the GOP push. It needed six votes to pass and got only five.
"She didn't even respond, ghosted us," state Rep. Kristin Robbins, chair of the committee, told Fox News Digital back in April. The committee wanted communications showing how Omar pushed expanded access to federal child nutrition programs, including emails, texts, and meeting records with the Minnesota Department of Education and constituents. They also asked about her public promotion of a Minneapolis restaurant later tied to the program, including a Somali-language TV spot where she highlighted Safari Restaurant as a meal site.
Records of contact with Aimee Bock and dozens of other charged or implicated individuals were also requested. Bock, the nonprofit founder, is staring down a possible 50-year prison sentence."A lot of the sites were working directly with her, being that a lot of the operators were from the same Somali community," Bock said about Omar in a recent jailhouse interview with the New York Post. "There were a lot of people that had been reaching out to her office and staff, and I presume her personally, to work through some of those gaps with the waivers."
Just last week, the committee dropped an 84-page report slamming Gov. Tim Walz's administration for creating a "culture of tolerance" that let fraudsters loot billions in taxpayer funds. The findings followed two dozen hearings and hundreds of whistleblower tips about ignored warnings and oversight breakdowns.
An estimated $300 million in federal meal program fraud and up to $9 billion in Medicaid fraud were stolen, according to the report, far higher than initial figures.
It also points directly at Omar's MEALS Act for loosening anti-fraud protections in nutrition programs, making it much tougher to confirm whether kids were actually being fed.
In related news, sources confirm Omar is currently hard at work on new legislation titled the "No Questions Asked Feeding Freedom Act," which would replace all remaining oversight with strongly worded statements and inspirational Instagram posts.
"Did you ask Minnesota Democrats to block the subpoena for the investigation of Feeding Our Future on the state level?" she was asked in the halls of Congress on Monday. No response. She also blew off the follow-up: "Would you cooperate with that subpoena and provide documents if they request it here in the House Oversight Committee?"
After the story ran, Omar's office coughed up a statement to Fox News Digital denying any involvement.
"Any claim that I had knowledge of this scheme is flat-out false," Omar said. "The MEALS Act was signed into law by President Trump and passed with bipartisan support as part of a broader legislative package. Trump’s USDA Secretary set the regulatory framework during the rollout of the program. I have always championed feeding kids and will continue to ensure our children do not go hungry."
Omar continued, "The moment this fraud came to light, I immediately sent a letter to the USDA Secretary demanding answers and accountability. As I stated from the beginning, stealing millions of dollars under the guise of feeding hungry children to bankroll lavish lifestyles and extravagant expenses is reprehensible. I’m grateful that Aimee Bock and every individual involved in this abhorrent scheme are being held accountable for defrauding taxpayers and betraying vulnerable children."
Her MEALS Act, the 2020 COVID relief bill she sponsored, is widely viewed as a key link to the scandal. Republicans argue it supercharged the fraud by fast-tracking USDA waiver authority for meal sites and gutting basic safeguards.
Despite months of dodging questions and refusing to provide information on her documented connections to some of the convicted players, Omar continues to play coy.
The Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee invited her to testify this month and requested documents related to the scandal. She missed the deadline, which led to a subpoena vote that fell short after Democrats blocked the GOP push. It needed six votes to pass and got only five.
"She didn't even respond, ghosted us," state Rep. Kristin Robbins, chair of the committee, told Fox News Digital back in April. The committee wanted communications showing how Omar pushed expanded access to federal child nutrition programs, including emails, texts, and meeting records with the Minnesota Department of Education and constituents. They also asked about her public promotion of a Minneapolis restaurant later tied to the program, including a Somali-language TV spot where she highlighted Safari Restaurant as a meal site.
Records of contact with Aimee Bock and dozens of other charged or implicated individuals were also requested. Bock, the nonprofit founder, is staring down a possible 50-year prison sentence."A lot of the sites were working directly with her, being that a lot of the operators were from the same Somali community," Bock said about Omar in a recent jailhouse interview with the New York Post. "There were a lot of people that had been reaching out to her office and staff, and I presume her personally, to work through some of those gaps with the waivers."
Just last week, the committee dropped an 84-page report slamming Gov. Tim Walz's administration for creating a "culture of tolerance" that let fraudsters loot billions in taxpayer funds. The findings followed two dozen hearings and hundreds of whistleblower tips about ignored warnings and oversight breakdowns.
An estimated $300 million in federal meal program fraud and up to $9 billion in Medicaid fraud were stolen, according to the report, far higher than initial figures.
It also points directly at Omar's MEALS Act for loosening anti-fraud protections in nutrition programs, making it much tougher to confirm whether kids were actually being fed.
In related news, sources confirm Omar is currently hard at work on new legislation titled the "No Questions Asked Feeding Freedom Act," which would replace all remaining oversight with strongly worded statements and inspirational Instagram posts.
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