Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., rejected long-standing allegations that she married her brother to commit immigration fraud during a Wednesday interview with MS NOW host Chris Hayes, though she stopped short of definitively ruling out a family relationship with her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi.

“Not to my knowledge,” Omar said when Hayes asked whether there was any “weird kernel of truth” to the allegations.

The interview marked Omar’s first television appearance since federal agents searched her Washington, D.C., residence on Oct. 12 as part of an investigation into her immigration history. The search reportedly resulted in the seizure of electronic devices, documents, and her passport.

Omar claimed the allegations about her former marriage originated on a Somali blog before spreading among conservative commentators.

“Somebody put in there that, you know, he had to have been my brother or something to that effect,” she said.

She dismissed accounts from people who allegedly claimed she had introduced Elmi as her brother, calling the accusations “insane.”

The allegations have circulated for years, but they have not been publicly substantiated. Omar has repeatedly denied committing immigration fraud.

Federal authorities are examining whether Omar or her late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, provided false information on immigration documents, including information concerning her birth date.

Omar emigrated from Somalia with her family in 1995. She has said she became a U.S. citizen at age 17 through her father’s naturalization in 2000.

The Wall Street Journal reported that investigators have issued more than a dozen federal grand jury subpoenas, including subpoenas involving Omar’s relatives. The investigation is being handled through the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota.

If investigators establish that Omar obtained citizenship through material misrepresentation, the case could raise questions about whether her citizenship could be revoked. However, authorities have not announced any such determination, and the investigation does not establish that she committed wrongdoing.

Omar also defended her personal finances amid scrutiny of financial disclosures involving businesses associated with her current husband, Tim Mynett.

Her original financial disclosure covering 2024 listed interests in California winery eStCru LLC and venture capital firm Rose Lake Capital LLC at a combined value of $6 million to $30 million. That represented a substantial increase from the maximum reported value of $51,000 in 2023.

Omar later amended the filing, changing the reported valuations. Federal authorities are separately examining questions surrounding her finances and the business interests disclosed in connection with her husband. Omar has denied financial wrongdoing.

During the interview, Omar described herself as “working class” and said she lives “paycheck to paycheck.”

“I have a Toyota Camry that's from 2016. It's our only car. I rent my D.C. place and my Minneapolis place,” she told Hayes. “And so I mean, I don't know, that sounds like not the majority of Congress, but there's some of us that don't come from wealth and don't have wealth.”

Omar also said she plans to move from her Washington residence because the publicity surrounding the investigation has raised security concerns for her family.

“I can't continue to live there, so we have to figure out where to move to,” she said, citing threats and concerns about people tracking her children.

The congresswoman accused the Trump administration of attempting to intimidate her ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. She has also appealed to supporters for campaign contributions, arguing that she needs to remain in Congress to continue opposing the administration.

President Donald Trump addressed the investigation on Tuesday, suggesting Omar could face criminal penalties if authorities uncover evidence of immigration fraud.

“She could go to jail,” Trump said, adding that discussions had also involved the possibility of deportation.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no finding of immigration fraud or other criminal wrongdoing by Omar has been announced.