Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of Somali immigrants during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, claiming that “they’re all crooks” while discussing federal fraud investigations tied to Minnesota.
Trump specifically referenced Somali immigrants and Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat representing Minnesota, while praising Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force. “The Somalians, what they’ve done to Minnesota, the Somalians, crooked as hell. Ilhan Omar, crooked as hell,” Trump said during the meeting.
The president did not provide evidence for allegations against Omar, and her office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump later claimed his administration was “putting the clamps on” fraud connected to Minnesota investigations.
Trump’s remarks appear tied to a large-scale COVID relief fraud case involving the Feeding Our Future nonprofit scandal. According to reporting from the Associated Press, 82 of the 92 defendants charged at one stage of the investigation were Somali Americans. Federal prosecutors alleged the scheme improperly obtained more than $1 billion in pandemic relief funds.
However, one of the highest-profile convictions connected to the case involved Aimee Bock, a nonprofit executive who is not Somali. She was recently sentenced to nearly 42 years in prison for her role in the fraud operation.
The president has repeatedly targeted Somali immigrants and Omar in public remarks over the past year, including previous comments describing Somalia as crime-ridden and criticizing Minnesota’s Somali-American community. Omar has previously responded by stating that “Somali Americans are here to stay.”
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