Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is married, has denied accusations that she was having an affair with one of her married political advisers.The accusations are based on claims made in papers filed by his estranged wife as part of divorce proceedings, first reported by the New York Post on August 27, claiming that he told her in April that he was "romantically involved with and in love with" Omar. He was a political consultant for the freshman congresswoman at the time.The Post reported that the proceedings were filed by Dr. Beth Mynett, 55, a medical director at the Department of Corrections in Washington. She described how her husband, 38-year-old Tim Mynett, was having an affair with the 36-year-old legislator. According to the newspaper, the divorce document says that Mrs. Mynett is seeking primary physical custody of their son, partially due to her husband's “extensive travel” with Omar.
During an interview with a local Minneapolis radio station, Omar (D-Minnesota) said that she didn't want to occupy herself with attention regarding her personal life, although she did actively deny reports claiming that she has separated from her husband, and asking whether she is seeing someone else.
The congresswoman has been accused many times in the past regarding her marriage. Based on those accusations, there have been claims against her, even going as far as accusing her of marrying her brother.These rumors have lasted long enough to become mainstream, and some have even been repeated by US president Donald Trump, although she claims to not be fazed by them.Trump has repeated the claim that she officially married her alleged brother Ahmed Nur Said Elmi – while she was separated from her then-unofficially-married husband Ahmed Hirsi, with whom she had two children – so that Elmi could get a green card and become an American citizen. The president called it illegal immigration fraud; Omar called the allegation “absolutely false and ridiculous,” having said in a 2016 statement before she was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives: “Insinuations that… Elmi is my brother are absurd and offensive."Omar and Elmi got an unofficial, faith-based divorce two years later in 2011; she reconciled with Hirsi that same year. Omar became legally divorced from Elmi in 2017, and legally married Hirsi the year after. She is reported to have recently separated from him again, which she denies.Tom Fitton, head of Judicial Watch – the conservative watchdog group that asked the House Office of Congressional Ethics last month to investigate the green card claims – said that the new infidelity allegation, "is additional reason for an ethics investigation.” If the office finds the allegations to be valid, it can recommend to the House Ethics Committee to bring the matter to the full House for action, which can range from censure to expulsion, the latter requiring two-thirds of the representatives to approve it.
Omar has also come under fire in the past for her comments regarding the events of 9/11, referring to them as "something some people did," as well as for her constant lobbying activity against Israel within US democracy.
The congresswoman has also recently been denied entry to Israel over her support of the BDS movement.Natan Rothstein contributed to this article.