Federal agents searched the Washington, D.C.-area home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar on Monday morning, just weeks before the November midterm elections.
Agents with Homeland Security Investigations carried out the operation under a court-authorized search warrant.
The Department of Justice confirmed that the search is part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Federal authorities have not announced any charges against the Minnesota congresswoman.
They have also stayed silent on the evidence that underlies the probe.
Reports indicate the investigation involves immigration paperwork that Omar’s late father completed when she was a child.
Allegations of immigration-related wrongdoing have followed Omar for years. She has denied them repeatedly.
White House border czar Tom Homan had acknowledged the existence of an investigation involving Omar before Monday’s search.
Fox News questioned him about the case, and he declined to provide additional details.
Homan sent questions about the matter to two other officials, Todd Blanche and Markwayne Mullin. He then explained his reasoning in his own words.
“Well, I’m not going to get ahead of Todd Blanche on this or Secretary Mullin, but we know this investigation was ongoing for a while. There was a warrant executed this morning, so I’ll leave it at that. The specifics of the investigation, I think I need to turn that over to Todd Blanche or Markwayne Mullin. I don’t want to get ahead of them on commenting on an ongoing investigation.”
CNN carried the news live on Monday morning. Anchor Kate Bolduan opened the segment by telling viewers what her network had learned.
“So some breaking news coming in as we speak. Learning that federal officers have conducted a search, and did so early today, at the home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar,” Bolduan announced.
Correspondent Katelyn Polantz followed with the specifics she had. She reported that the Justice Department obtained the warrant and that Homeland Security investigators executed it.
Polantz told viewers that CNN had few details at that stage.
She pointed to two clues about the investigation’s focus: the involvement of Homeland Security and statements coming from the White House, including those from Homan.
“We don’t have much more indication on exactly what this is, but it appears to be some level of an immigration investigation, given that it’s Homeland Security doing this, and also some of the statements that are coming out, out of the White House, specifically by White House border czar Tom Homan.”
Bolduan then moved the conversation to timing. She noted that the search came close to an election and asked Polantz what the Justice Department had said about it.
“I was going to ask more about that, Katelyn, because it being so close to an election, there, there are, generally speaking, we’ve seen this discussed and been very much highlighted in terms of past investigations and what, what does or should happen within a certain number of days of an election. What is the Justice Department saying about this?”
Polantz answered by describing the department’s longstanding guidelines.
Under them, investigators receive encouragement to take additional precautions whenever they take investigative steps within 60 days of an election.
Those guidelines exist to keep law enforcement actions from improperly influencing elections.
They do not, however, impose an absolute prohibition on investigations during that period.
CNN’s coverage of the search centered on the political fallout as the November elections approach.
Federal officials, meanwhile, said little publicly about what agents found or what the investigation will examine next.
