Federal probe of Omar marriage allegations began in 2016

Federal investigators opened a probe in 2016 into allegations surrounding Rep. Ilhan Omar’s marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, examining a claim that the marriage was fraudulent and that the two were siblings. The inquiry began during Barack Obama’s presidency, according to current and former officials familiar with the investigation. Those officials told investigators that agents found some evidence suggesting the marriage was fraudulent. The specific evidence has not been publicly disclosed, and the reported finding does not establish that Elmi was Omar’s brother or that she committed a crime. Omar has repeatedly denied the sibling-marriage allegation. Omar married Elmi, a British citizen, in 2009, when she was already a U.S. citizen. They divorced in 2017. Officials said Elmi received a provisional two-year green card through the marriage and later sought permanent status. Immigration officials requested further evidence about the marriage, and Elmi left the United States without completing the application, according to two former officials. Prosecutors did not pursue a potential felony case, officials said, because they concluded it fell outside a five-year statute of...