The Justice Department’s bid to keep its Ilhan Omar investigation secret revealed something telling about where the case actually stands.
In a heavily redacted memorandum filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, federal prosecutors urged U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to keep records tied to the search of Omar’s Washington home under seal, acknowledging the request came “before a charging decision has been reached and publicly announced.” The government also admitted it has “still only partially executed the search warrant” more than two weeks after agents descended on the Minnesota congresswoman’s residence.
The memorandum, filed under the name of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and signed by Associate Deputy Attorney General Alessandra Serano, responds to a coalition of news organizations and the conservative group Judicial Watch seeking access to the warrant, the supporting affidavit and related records.
Prosecutors argued that releasing even redacted versions would be too dangerous for what they described as a “complex investigation.”
“Even the smallest of facts, exposed to a highly motivated press and millions of prying eyes, could expose crucial facets of this complex investigation, perhaps in ways the United States hasn’t even contemplated,” the filing states.
The DOJ dismissed the push for access in blunter terms, writing that “this request sounds rash because it is rash.”
Prosecutors also addressed the timing of the Oct. 12 search, which came weeks before next week’s midterm elections. The filing says the prosecution team consulted with the department’s Public Integrity Section and received approval from Attorney General Todd Blanche before agents executed the warrant.
The government asked Boasberg to deny the requests for now and order status reports on the search, while warning that if he orders the records unsealed, it wants time to seek an emergency stay and potentially take the fight to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Omar has blasted the search as an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.”
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