Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she is not a millionaire and blamed a major accounting error after a congressional financial disclosure listing her assets as high as $30 million drew scrutiny from Republicans and a congressional watchdog.
An amended filing reviewed by The Wall Street Journal shows Omar and her husband's assets were between $18,004 and $95,000, a sharp drop from an earlier disclosure that estimated their holdings between $6 million and $30 million.
What the Left Is Saying
Omar's office defended the corrected filing as a routine correction of an unintentional error. 'The amended disclosure confirms what we've said all along: The congresswoman is not a millionaire,' Omar spokesperson Jacklyn Rogers told the Journal, adding that the filing was corrected 'as soon as the discrepancy was identified.'
Omar's attorney explained that the inaccurate filing stemmed from reliance on accountants. 'As the busiest of people, it is very common for members and their spouses to rely on learned professionals like accountants to make calculations and determinations that appear on public filings,' the attorney wrote. 'While the error is of course unfortunate, there is nothing untoward and nothing illegal has occurred.'
Omar's office pushed back against Republican criticism, describing House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer's request for financial records as 'a political stunt' and part of a campaign 'meant to fundraise, not real oversight,' according to The Associated Press.
Omar, a progressive Democrat originally from Somalia and member of the 'Squad,' has frequently clashed with President Donald Trump since first being elected in 2018. She has long been a target of Republican criticism.
What the Right Is Saying
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., raised concerns about financial disclosures showing the value of two companies, eStCru LLC and Rose Lake Capital, surged from tens of thousands of dollars in 2023 to as much as $30 million in 2024. In a February letter to Omar's husband, Comer said the sudden increase 'raises concerns that unknown individuals may be investing to gain influence.'
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton questioned how previously unreported liabilities wiped out millions in reported assets. 'Ilhan Omar says her congressional financial reports have massive accounting error,' Fitton wrote on X. 'She and her husband only worth 18k-86k, NOT $6 million-$30 million! Previously unreported 'liabilities' erase wealth!'
Trump has suggested that Omar benefited from Minnesota's sprawling welfare fraud scandal involving many people from the Somali community, a claim she has denied. Republicans have used the financial disclosure discrepancy to renew calls for greater scrutiny of the congresswoman's finances.
What the Numbers Show
The amended filing shows Omar reported between $102,503 and $1,005,200 in income in 2024 from assets she and her husband own. Documentation attached to the attorney's letter showed $213,200 in distributions to her husband from his venture capital management firm and $3,000 from a winery.
A 2025 email between Omar's husband and his accountant valued the venture capital firm at $7.9 million and the winery at $1.5 million, though he owns roughly one-third of both businesses, according to tax documents cited by the Journal.
The updated disclosure also shows Omar has between $15,001 and $50,000 in student loan debt and a similar amount in credit card debt. The businesses were later listed as having no net value once liabilities were factored in.
The revised disclosure came after the Office of Congressional Conduct requested additional information earlier this year, according to the Journal.
The Bottom Line
The $30 million discrepancy in Omar's financial disclosure has become a political flashpoint, with Republicans using the error to question her integrity and Democrats defending it as an unintentional accounting mistake. The Office of Congressional Conduct's involvement suggests the matter received formal scrutiny, though Omar's attorney says no laws were broken. What to watch: whether House Oversight Committee Chairman Comer pursues further investigation into the couple's business interests, and how this impacts Omar's political standing ahead of future elections.