Former federal prosecutors are pushing back hard on complaints about a raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home. The search happened just weeks before the election, according to Fox News. Critics call it political intimidation, but legal experts say the rules were followed.
Jim Trusty, a former federal prosecutor, pointed to the double standard in these complaints. “It’s difficult to not point out the dirty hands of the people that might complain about election interference,” he told Fox News. He noted that former special counsel Jack Smith prosecuted President Trump right before the 2024 vote.
Rep. Jamie Raskin claimed the Justice Department broke protocol by acting in the 60 days before an election. He called it “blatant political intimidation” in a statement released just 22 days before the vote. However, Abhishek Kambil, another former prosecutor, told Fox News Digital that the rule is not law.
“The 60-day requirement is not something that’s in the justice manual,” Kambil said. He explained it is just an unwritten practice, not a ban. The manual only requires higher leadership approval for actions that might influence an election. Fox News reported that the 2018 inspector general called James Comey’s similar move a “serious error of judgment” because he ignored this practice.
Vice President JD Vance addressed the raid in an exclusive interview from Texas. He said the Trump administration has no plans to interfere with the Department of Justice investigation. “We don’t want to be like the Biden administration,” Vance said. That scenario, where the law chases political foes, is never what we desire.
According to Fox News, Vance stated the law would be enforced upon discovering immigration fraud. “We really want to let the law, the facts drive this,” he continued. He warned that if criminal wrongdoing is discovered, legal proceedings will follow. This stance contrasts with the furious reaction from Omar’s campaign.
Rep. Ilhan Omar wasted no time using the raid for a fundraising pitch. Her campaign sent an email calling the search “ludicrous” and an “authoritarian attack.” The New York Post obtained the email, which asked supporters to fight back against Trump’s “abuse of power.”
I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.
I will not be silenced.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 12, 2026
Her campaign charged Trump with targeting Ilhan from the moment he returned to office. They called the search “a serious escalation by this fascist government.” Omar herself tweeted that she was “OK” but called the search “an attempt to target political enemies.” She is seeking a fifth term in Congress while facing a criminal fraud probe into her immigration paperwork.
