Republican lawmakers are pressing for an expanded investigation into the overseas business activities of Tim Mynett, husband of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), with inquiries now potentially reaching as far as Somalia, Kenya, and the United Arab Emirates, according to congressional and media reports.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has asked Mynett to provide documents related to his international travel, communications, and business ventures through his firm, Rose Lake Capital, by a February 19 deadline. The request included records tied to his reported business discussions and activities in the three countries.
The inquiry comes amid scrutiny over a dramatic increase in the value of assets tied to the couple’s business interests, with financial disclosures showing their combined wealth rose substantially over a short period. Republican lawmakers have raised questions about whether foreign business dealings or investors may have played a role in the growth.
According to the New York Post, “Mynett’s investment firm, Rose Lake Capital, wanted to build solar panels in Africa, and his main business partner received a $10,699 air ticket to Dubai after talks about a deal there.”
The outlet added:
Comer’s committee initially spearheaded the probe and in a Feb. 5 letter to Mynett, demanded he turn over “all documents and communications” by anyone affiliated with either Rose Lake Capital LLC or his failed California winery eStCru LLC related to travel “to the United Arab Emirates, Somalia or Kenya, or travel undertaken to solicit business connected to those countries. This includes the dates of travel, the individuals who traveled, and the stated purpose of each trip.”
Mynett has until Thursday of this week to respond, reports said.
Mynett’s Rose Lake Capital has been linked to proposed solar energy ventures in East Africa, including discussions about projects in Somalia and Kenya, and a reported business trip to Dubai by one of the firm’s partners. Critics point to those international connections as part of ongoing efforts to understand the source of the reported wealth increase.
An Omar spokesperson dismissed the effort as politically motivated, and lawmakers have suggested that the House Ethics Committee may take jurisdiction over aspects of the probe. The investigation remains active, and additional records have been requested as part of congressional oversight efforts.
When Omar recently took a jab at President Donald Trump, Comer said she “needs to keep her mouth shut.”
For his part, Trump has recently suggested that Omar could be guilty of committing fraud while also pushing to have her sent back to her native Somalia.
“There is 19 Billion Dollars in Minnesota Somalia Fraud. Fake ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan [sic] Omar, a constant complainer who hates the USA, knows everything there is to know. She should be in jail, or even a worse punishment, sent back to Somalia, considered one of the absolutely worst countries in the World. She could help to MAKE SOMALIA GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.
“‘Scammer’ Illhan Omar and her absolutely terrible friends from Somalia should all be in jail right now or, far worse, send them back to Somalia,” he wrote in a Truth Social post. “‘Governor’ Waltz is either the most CORRUPT government official in history, or the most INCOMPETENT. Even a very low IQ person, of which there are many, should have known what was going on in Minnesota!!! President DJT.”
Trump made some of the remarks during an interview in which he discussed the ongoing investigations into fraudulent use of public assistance funds in Minnesota, including programs related to food, healthcare and other social services.
The president characterized the situation as one of the largest fraud schemes in U.S. history and said Omar, as a prominent lawmaker from the state, should face legal consequences.
