WASHINGTON, D.C. — Incoming House Minority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) didn't mince words this week when asked whether Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) should be removed from Congress, telling interviewer Benny Johnson flatly: "Yes! Yes!" — and adding that the Minnesota Democrat "is no longer allowed on the House floor."
The exchange, posted to X by Johnson, came as Emmer said the Justice Department is "finalizing" its review of Omar's birth date — one of what he described as "four different things" being examined in a federal probe. Emmer's claim rests on a narrow legal theory: that Omar misrepresented her age on immigration paperwork, and that if she was actually over 18 when she claims to have derived citizenship through her father, her citizenship claim collapses.
"The birth date is an administrative procedure, and once it's established that she was over the age of 18 when she claimed to be a minor, she's no longer a citizen of the United States," Emmer told Newsmax. "And when she's no longer a citizen, she's not entitled to serve in Congress."
Pressed by Johnson on whether military or law enforcement would physically remove Omar from the Capitol, Emmer answered: "Yes! Yes!" — a remarkable statement from a member of House Republican leadership about a sitting colleague. In a separate clip posted by @atrupar, Johnson is heard asking Emmer directly whether the military would go and remove Omar from Congress, with Emmer replying: "She is no longer allowed on the House floor."
Johnson's post also quoted Emmer saying Omar "can go represent Somalia."
The Citizenship Question
The core of the allegation centers on a one-year discrepancy in Omar's official biography. As RedState reported in October, Omar's congressional staff asked the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library in May 2019 to change her listed birth year from 1981 to 1982 — a request made several months after she was elected to Congress, and shortly after a political opponent's video questioning her age went viral.
Why does one year matter? Omar says she derived citizenship through her father at age 17, in the year 2000. Born in 1981, she would have been 18 for that entire year — the difference between her derivative-citizenship story working and not working. Derivative citizenship requires two things: that her father naturalized, and that she was still a minor at the time.
No denaturalization case has been filed against Omar. Revoking citizenship typically requires a court proceeding, meaning Emmer's theory remains just that — a theory. Omar has denied the allegations and has not been charged with any crime. The New York Post first reported the birth-year change.
Omar Wants Her Committee Seat Back
The fireworks come as Omar is reportedly seeking to reclaim her old seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee — the assignment Republicans stripped her of in 2023 over previous comments about Israel. According to PJ Media's coverage of LARRY with Larry O'Connor, Omar says she has gotten most of her seized devices back and wants the committee post restored.
Host Larry O'Connor raised the obvious question: why would Democrats hand Omar a national security committee assignment while a federal probe into her citizenship and background is still underway? Tom Homan, the administration's border enforcement point man, called the federal case against her "strong" during the same episode.
The Emmer interview also surfaced scrutiny of Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who reportedly sold Nvidia stock before the Jensen Huang spy scandal broke — a detail raised in the same broadcast as evidence that Democrats' national security credibility is threadbare.
What This Means
Emmer's statement that an expulsion vote won't be necessary — because Omar is allegedly serving illegally — is a significant escalation from the standard Republican posture of demanding investigations. It suggests House GOP leadership believes the DOJ's findings could render the question moot.
For everyday Americans, the stakes are straightforward: a sitting member of Congress stands accused of misrepresenting her own immigration history to obtain citizenship, and her party is reportedly considering rewarding her with a seat on the committee that handles the nation's most sensitive foreign intelligence. Whether the DOJ's review produces charges or a denaturalization referral remains unknown, but Emmer's public confidence — and his willingness to say law enforcement will physically remove her — signals Republicans intend to make this a defining fight.
Our Take
Let's be clear about what Emmer just did: a member of House Republican leadership went on the record saying a sitting Democratic congresswoman is not a U.S. citizen, is serving illegally, and will be physically removed from the House floor by law enforcement. That is not a whisper campaign or a vague threat — that's a claim that demands the DOJ put up or shut up.
And the timing is damning. Omar wants her old Foreign Affairs seat back — the same committee that oversees the intelligence community, foreign military sales, and America's adversaries. Democrats stripped her of it once for good reason. Now, with a federal probe reportedly being finalized and Tom Homan calling the case "strong," the idea that Democrats would hand her back a national security gavel isn't just tone-deaf — it's a middle finger to every American who expects their representatives to actually be eligible to serve.
One year. That's all this comes down to. A staff-requested change to her official birth year, made months after she took office, that conveniently makes her derivative-citizenship claim work. Patriots should be asking why that change was made, who ordered it, and what the DOJ has found. Emmer says it's being finalized. Homan says the case is strong. The only question left is whether the Justice Department has the spine to finish it — and whether Democrats have the decency to stop promoting someone who may not legally be in the room.
