Ilhan Omar quietly filed an amended financial disclosure last week, slashing her reported household assets from as much as $30 million down to between $18,000 and $95,000. Her office blamed an accounting error, saying the original filing improperly listed her husband Tim Mynett’s business assets without netting out associated debts. The corrected figure — under $100K — is a drop of roughly 99% from what was first reported.
When reporters asked Omar about it, she didn’t exactly take the high road. She walked away from one journalist and told another “I still think you’re stupid for asking me anything” and “I don’t have to tell you jack shit.” Not exactly the response of someone confident the story goes away on its own.
Republicans were quick to pounce. Tom Emmer and others tied the disclosure mess to ongoing scrutiny of Mynett’s consulting firms, which have been flagged before in connection with Omar’s campaign spending. No violations have been found, and amendments to financial disclosures are routine on Capitol Hill — but a $30 million swing is anything but routine.
Whether it was a clerical mistake or something else, Omar’s choice to go scorched earth on reporters asking basic questions didn’t help her case. Lawmakers who handle constituent services for a living typically understand that “no comment” works better than insults when you’re trying to make a story disappear.
